THE SISTER of an Irishman who was killed while serving with the British Army in Iraq says his death "could and should have been avoided."
Her brother, 29-year-old Lance Corporal Ian Malone, was killed on April 6th 2003 by a sniper near Basra in Iraq.
Malone from Ballyfermott in Dublin, is the first soldier to have a uniformed British military presence at his funeral in the Republic of Ireland since 1922.
Sister Carol Malone made the comments following the release on Wednesday of the long-awaited Chilcott Report into the Iraq war, which she described as "very honest"
"We knew they were going to war, no matter what. But...there was no need for it. And the Chilcott Report has confirmed that."
"Those weapons of mass destruction never existed. We're very grateful that it's an honest report and that Tony Blair, in particular, was pointed out as having gone along with George Bush," she told the BBC.
Ms Malone also believes her brother Corporal Malone died in vain. "It was not worth anyone to lose their life to go into that country. I believe they've made the country worse that it was before the army went in," she added
She also said the release of the report after seven years of waiting has delivered a "very tough day" for her extended family, who she says are still upset by why happened to her brother Ian, who was shot in the head as British troops approached the country's second city, Basra.
Britain's 2 Company Irish Guards check a man dressed in civilian clothes April 6, 2003 in Basra, Iraq. (Getty)In November 2002 Lance Corporal Malone was one of a number of British soldiers interviewed on RTE's, True Lives, regarding his membership of the British Army.
He said: "At the end of the day I am just abroad doing a job. People go on about Irishmen dying for freedom and all that. That's a fair one. They did. But they died to give men like me the freedom to choose what to do."
The recruitment of Irish citizens into Britain's army, navy and air force reached its highest level since World War II over the past decade, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
See More: Chilcott, Featured, Ian Malone, Irish, Soldier
