Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair doesn't count himself among the crowd that says actions of the United States and its allies have angered Islamic extremists and incited them to commit acts of terrorism.
In an interview Thursday on
CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper," Blair said he understands those who say that if the United States had not invaded Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, the West would be in a better position, but he doesn’t agree with them.
"My own view is that, in the end, this is not something we have caused, it's something we have been caught up in," he said. "I think you can have a very sensible debate about whether it was sensible to do Iraq or sensible to do Guantanamo. What I'm saying is if you look at the justifications given, they are multiple and there's always a justification."
France opposed the war in Iraq, he pointed out, but still was attacked by terrorists last week over cartoons insulting Islam's founder Muhammad.
"Whatever the justification that they give … it's always justifying killing totally innocent people," Blair said.
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