Comical Ali

If, for the millions watching at home, the war in Iraq was like a slowly unfolding movie, then Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf was the light relief. The hapless sidekick to the arch-villain Saddam Hussein, al-Sahhaf - Comical Ali - was the cult figure of the conflict, his increasingly bizarre pronouncements as Iraqi Information Minister appearing on mugs, T-shirts and websites around the world.

But the man who said of the American forces, as tanks rolled into Baghdad almost in view of his press conference: "We besieged them and we killed most of them," is nowadays a more subdued presence. An occasional interviewee on Abu Dhabi television, he is believed to be living in the United Arab Emirates with his family but, unlike other senior figures in the Baath party, is not on the run. Perhaps this could be to do with friends in high places – President Bush says he is a fan.

Tim Collins

Iraq timeline: five years of conflict

From accusations that the weapons of mass destruction dossier had been sexed-up to withdrawal of British troops from Basra

Multimedia

• Poll: Was Iraq war worth the sacrifice?

• Audio slideshow: Iraq conflict explained

• Pictures: Iraq, war and aftermath

Related Internet Links

• Read the Inside Iraq blog from our team in Baghdad

Related Links

• Iraq: where it all went wrong

• Victims and survivors of the Whitehall warriors of the Iraq war

"We go to liberate, not to conquer. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own."

With those rousing words Colonel Tim Collins led his troops into Iraq and the Northern Irish officer entered the history books. His eve-of-battle speech represented the war that Britain hoped it was entering. President Bush hung a copy of his address on the wall of the Oval Office.

But Colonel Collins grew disillusioned with the war and after being falsely accused of war crimes, he left the Army. Now Tim Collins, OBE, he earns a living as a director of private security firms and through public speaking engagements - for which he commands up to £7,000 a night.

He has been vocal in his criticism of the war but today is cautiously hopeful, telling The Times: "The birth pains of the new country are fierce, but the nation will be worth the pain."

Eric Shinseki

Before the war began, the Army Chief of Staff, Eric Shinseki, told the US Senate Armed Services committee that "something in the order of several hundred thousand soldiers" would be needed to occupy Iraq. Donald Rumsfeld, then the US Secretary of State, and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, publicly rubbished the claim as "far off the mark". General Shinseki retired quietly from the military four months later, seemingly in disgrace. Neither Mr Wolfowitz nor Mr Rumsfeld attended his retirement ceremony.

But testifying before Congress in 2006, General John Abizaid, then the Chief of US Central Command, conceded that General Shinseki's estimate had proved correct.

Since his retirement General Shinseki has kept a strict public silence, declining all interviews and telling associates: "I do not want to criticise while my soldiers are still bleeding and dying in Iraq." He splits his time between his Washington home and his native Hawaii, consulting with academic organisations, private companies and military support groups.

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?