The release of an official British inquiry into the Iraq war will be delayed by at least six months due to debates over access to secret files, a statement on the inquiry's website said.
Inquiry chairman John Chilcot previously said the five-member panel would publish its report on Britain's role in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion before the end of the year, but the conclusions are now not expected until mid-2012.
The statement said that "the Inquiry has made clear that it will need cooperation from the government in completing this in a satisfactory and timely manner."
The inquiry was launched after British troops left Iraq in July 2009 and public hearings began in London that November.
The inquiry was set up to learn lessons from the conflict, in which 179 British troops died.
More than 100,000 Iraqi civilians died in the conflict, according to the NGO Iraq Body Count.
compiled from agency reports
Inquiry chairman John Chilcot previously said the five-member panel would publish its report on Britain's role in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion before the end of the year, but the conclusions are now not expected until mid-2012.
The statement said that "the Inquiry has made clear that it will need cooperation from the government in completing this in a satisfactory and timely manner."
The inquiry was launched after British troops left Iraq in July 2009 and public hearings began in London that November.
The inquiry was set up to learn lessons from the conflict, in which 179 British troops died.
More than 100,000 Iraqi civilians died in the conflict, according to the NGO Iraq Body Count.
compiled from agency reports