The US and British "calculations have gone seriously wrong," Sinha said in an exclusive interview with AFP.

"It's not merely in terms of military resistance that the Iraqi army was likely to offer but also the mood of the people of Iraq."

Favouring a halt to the fighting, he said "the only methodology ... is with the UN Security Council and therefore it is incumbent on the current members of the Security Council to take the initiative and perhaps pass a resolution to bring the hostilities to an end."

SPACE.WIRE