The failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq proved that opponents of the US-led invasion were right, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said in remarks published today.

Mahathir, who led Malaysia for 22 years before his retirement in October, was a fierce critic of the Iraq war whose outspoken comments led to strains in relations with Washington.

"We have always said from the start that there are no weapons of mass destruction (in Iraq)," Mahathir was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times .

The veteran leader was responding to a declaration by former chief US weapons inspector in Iraq, David Kay, that he did not think Saddam Hussein had such weapons when US forces invaded.

"We led this search to find the truth, not to find the weapons. The fact that we found that so far the weapons did not exist, we've got to deal with that difference and understand why," Kay told National Public Radio Sunday.

Mahathir had described the attack on Iraq as a "cowardly and imperialist" act against a Muslim country which, rather than defeating terrorism, would prompt more recruits to join the terrorist ranks. - AFP