Tony Blair sorry for Iraq war 'mistakes', admits it gave rise to ISIS

London: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has apologised for aspects of the Iraq war and admitted that the conflict played a role in the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

According to the Guardian, Blair's apology has sparked claims of attempted "spin" before the Chilcot inquiry findings.

Blair expressed regret over the failure to plan properly for the aftermath of the toppling in 2003 of Saddam Hussein and the false intelligence used to justify it.

When asked if the Iraq war was the main cause of the rise of ISIS, Blair said that there were "elements" of truth in the statement.

He admitted that those who removed Saddam in 2003 bore some responsibility for the situation on 2015.

He also said that ISIS was completely unheard of until the end of 2008 when al Qaeda was completely destroyed.