UK Talking to Taliban, Blames Trump, Not Biden, for Afghanistan Chaos
The UK government has been talking to the Taliban through an intermediary and a pathway for the hardline Islamist terror group to be recognised as the government of Afghanistan exists, the defence secretary has said, as he defended President Joe Biden’s handling of the withdrawal.
Wallace recognised that after 20 years of Western nation-building, the Taliban now controlled Afghanistan, and also revealed that the United Kingdom was already entering into discussions with the jihadist organisation to negotiate for the safety of British citizens in the country.
Wallace said the intermediary was a Middle Eastern country that was speaking to the military leadership of the Taliban on his behalf. He again made the point when speaking to the BBC later in the morning, when he confirmed not only that the UK was negotiating with the Taliban, but that the terror group had offered assurances to London.
Beyond granting the Taliban the legitimacy of not just seeing them as the de facto rulers of Afghanistan and negotiating to protect Britons in country with them through an intermediary, Wallace tacitly expressed that there was a route for the Taliban to be recognised as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, too. Asked on Sky News whether the UK would recognise the Taliban as the Afghan government, Wallace said that decision had not yet been made and suggested the answer would depend on how the fighters treated the country once in power.
Another persistent talking point for Wallace on Monday was where he saw the blame laying for the rapid deterioration in the Afghan security situation, with the UK defence minister clear that his views were in lockstep with Washington’s, that today’s events were the fault of former President Donald Trump, not the present president, Joe Biden.
Why am I not surprised that the UK government is blaming Trump for Biden’s failures.
I’m sure Germany and France will do the same.
Trump showed them up and now it is get even time!