UK exit from Afghanistan slammed as dark chapter

KABUL (Pajhwok): The pullout of British troops from Afghanistan was a dark chapter for the UK, says an influential Conservative Party leader.

Tobias Ellwood, who heads the Defence Committee, called for an “honest” probe into the UK’s exit from the war-torn country in 2021.

In a report on Friday, British lawmakers lamented that thousands of Afghans eligible for evacuation  in the UK were still living at risk in Afghanistan.

In response to the report, the Rishi Sunak administration insisted it worked vigorously to bring as many people from Afghanistan as possible.

The BBC quoted Ministry of Defence spokesperson as saying: “We owe a debt of gratitude to Afghan citizens who worked for, or with, the UK armed forces in Afghanistan and to date we have relocated over 12,100 individuals under the scheme.”

But another 300 eligible Afghans and their families are yet to be evacuated to the UK.

During its 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan, costing about £30 billion, the UK lost at least 457 military personnel.

The chaotic withdrawal was a dark chapter in UK military history for the troops and the Afghans who worked for them, Ellwood commented.

The 30-page report said the speed at which the Ashraf Ghani government collapsed was “a greater surprise to the military establishment than it might have been”.

PAN Monitor/mud

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