Awakening

Filmed on the ground in Iraq, Secret Iraq is a landmark two-part documentary series that sheds new light on the dramatic story of Iraq after the fall of Saddam.

The series has gained access to Iraqi insurgents, American and British soldiers, generals, diplomats and spies, who recount their experiences of an Iraq that often bore little relationship to the country being portrayed by the politicians. Senior US and British commanders give a blunt assessment of the performance of the overstretched British military, and fresh details of the secret deals the British struck with Iranian-backed militia groups to withdraw from Basra. The inhabitants of the city reveal details of the brutal militia rule that followed in that city.

The film picks up the story of Iraq after Saddam in the third year of occupation. Evidence suggests that the coalition knew the Iraqi government and police force it had created were deeply involved in sectarian killing that cost tens of thousands of Sunni and Shia Iraqis their lives. A senior US commander reveals the secret report he wrote and describes the actions of Iraqi politicians as war crimes. Insurgents and others who were close to Al Qaeda explain how the organisation thrived in the chaos and soon controlled large swathes of Iraq.

Key US figures reveal how fear of imminent defeat led to President Bush's decision to send more US troops, in a push known as 'the surge'. Just as significantly, Iraqi insurgents describe for the first time how they turned against Al Qaeda's brutal rule and formed a movement called The Awakening. This, as much as the surge, eventually led to lessening in violence that has allowed coalition withdrawal. However, some in the US military remain uncertain about Iraq's future.