{"id":11485,"date":"2024-02-13T16:40:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T16:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=11485"},"modified":"2024-02-13T16:40:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T16:40:29","slug":"donald-rumsfeld-the-iraq-war-advocate-and-ex-us-defence-secretary-dies-aged-88","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/donald-rumsfeld-the-iraq-war-advocate-and-ex-us-defence-secretary-dies-aged-88\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Rumsfeld: The Iraq War Advocate And Ex-US Defence Secretary Dies Aged 88"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time US defence secretary who was one of the main architects of the Iraq war, has died at the age of 88.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serving under President George W Bush, he was a key proponent of the so-called “war on terror” after the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US forces invaded Iraq in 2003 after claiming the country had weapons of mass destruction, but no such weapons were found. Mr Rumsfeld resigned three years later amid the fallout from the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He staunchly defended his record, but many experts blamed him for decisions that led to difficulties in Iraq and the wider region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, his family said he had died at home in the town of Taos, New Mexico. “History may remember him for his extraordinary accomplishments over six decades of public service,” they said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But for those who knew him best and whose lives were forever changed as a result, we will remember his unwavering love for his wife Joyce, his family and friends, and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to country.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reacting to the news, President Bush described him as “a man of intelligence, integrity, and almost inexhaustible energy” and an “exemplary public servant” who “never flinched from responsibility”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, meanwhile, said: “Secretary Rumsfeld was propelled by his boundless energy, probing intellect, and abiding commitment to serve his country.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in Chicago in 1932, Mr Rumsfeld’s political and private career spanned decades. He first came to Washington DC in the 1960s and served in multiple positions under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1975, he became the youngest person to be named defence secretary and later became the oldest to serve in the role during his second stint under President Bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was at the Pentagon when the building was hit by a hijacked airplane during the 9\/11 attacks. Mr Rumsfeld was among the first to reach the smouldering crash site, and he helped carry the wounded in stretchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less than a month later, US forces began an air campaign against al-Qaeda, the group responsible for the attacks, and the Taliban in Afghanistan, toppling the regime within weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administration’s attention then turned to Iraq, which had played no role in the attacks. Mr Rumsfeld made the case for the March 2003 invasion, arguing that the country’s weapons of mass destruction posed a danger to the world. No such weapons were ever found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Rumsfeld was known for his rollicking news conferences in which he sparred with reporters. One of the most memorable moments came in 2002, when he gave a much-mocked answer about “known knowns” and “known unknowns” after being asked whether there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His tenure was also marked by photos that surfaced in 2004 of US personnel abusing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, and the treatment of foreign terrorism suspects at a prison set up at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Rumsfeld, however, largely remained defiant over his record after leaving office. In a 2011 memoir, which he titled Known and Unknown, he defended his decisions around the Iraq war but did express regret over some of his comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time US defence secretary who was one of the main architects of the Iraq war, has died<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/60ddf4ae87d71_289.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15884,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/dick-cheney-influential-republican-vice-president-to-george-w-bush-died-of-pneumonia-and-cardiac-vascular-disease-at-age-of-84\/","url_meta":{"origin":11485,"position":0},"title":"Dick Cheney, influential Republican vice president to George W. Bush, died of pneumonia and cardiac vascular disease at age of 84","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Dick Cheney, America\u2019s most powerful modern vice president and chief architect of the \u201cwar on terror,\u201d who helped lead the country into the ill-fated Iraq war on faulty assumptions, has died, according to a statement from his family. He was 84. \u201cHis beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4311,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/colin-powell-first-black-us-secretary-of-state-dies-of-covid-19-complications-amid-cancer-battle\/","url_meta":{"origin":11485,"position":1},"title":"Colin Powell, first Black US secretary of state, dies of Covid-19 complications amid cancer battle","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"October 18, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, has died from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook. He was 84. \"General\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Foreign International News"","block_context":{"text":"Foreign International News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/foreign-international-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14695,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/if-iran-and-israel-do-stop-firing-trumps-strikes-may-pay-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":11485,"position":2},"title":"If Iran and Israel do stop firing, Trump’s strikes may pay off","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"US President Donald Trump took a gamble by inserting the US into the worsening conflict between Israel and Iran, but it may have paid off - at least for now. Trump announced on Monday evening that the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire that he said could lead to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/5c6e5050-50ed-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/5c6e5050-50ed-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/5c6e5050-50ed-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/5c6e5050-50ed-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/5c6e5050-50ed-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15561,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/trump-rebrands-department-of-defense-as-department-of-war\/","url_meta":{"origin":11485,"position":3},"title":"Trump rebrands Department of Defense as Department of War","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"September 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that directs the Department of Defense to be known as the Department of War. The move restores a name the agency last held in the 1940s and, according to the text of the order seen by the media, the aim\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "international News"","block_context":{"text":"international News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/international-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/a516e6a0-8a9f-11f0-aec2-e98cb6019532.jpg.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/a516e6a0-8a9f-11f0-aec2-e98cb6019532.jpg.webp 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/a516e6a0-8a9f-11f0-aec2-e98cb6019532.jpg.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/a516e6a0-8a9f-11f0-aec2-e98cb6019532.jpg.webp 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12267,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-leaves-uk-after-being-freed-in-us-plea-deal\/","url_meta":{"origin":11485,"position":4},"title":"Wikileaks founder Julian Assange leaves UK after being freed in US plea deal","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"After a years-long legal saga, Wikileaks says that founder Julian Assange has left the UK after reaching a deal with US authorities that will see him plead guilty to criminal charges and go free. Assange, 52, was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information. For years, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "international News"","block_context":{"text":"international News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/international-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/b5828fd0-3280-11ef-abf9-070e3edfef74.jpg.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/b5828fd0-3280-11ef-abf9-070e3edfef74.jpg.webp 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/b5828fd0-3280-11ef-abf9-070e3edfef74.jpg.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/b5828fd0-3280-11ef-abf9-070e3edfef74.jpg.webp 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/b5828fd0-3280-11ef-abf9-070e3edfef74.jpg.webp 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9721,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/with-530-mps-82-ministers-uganda-deserves-neither-pity-nor-world-bank-loans\/","url_meta":{"origin":11485,"position":5},"title":"WITH 530 MPS, 82 MINISTERS; UGANDA DESERVES NEITHER PITY NOR WORLD BANK LOANS","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"August 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"BY OFWONO OPONDO With 530 MPs, 82 ministers, and thousands of other personnel on public payroll but whose real contributions to the country\u2019 progress cannot be measured, many areas of duplication, wastefulness, and pervasive corruption, yet plenty of resources, Uganda probably deserves neither pity nor World Bank (WB) loans. There\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "OPINION"","block_context":{"text":"OPINION","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0aOV-2Zf","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11485"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11488,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11485\/revisions\/11488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}