Afghanistan: Ministers ignored 'excoriating' report sent months ago that US withdrawal would destabilise Afghanistan - claims

Sky News ^ | August 20, 2021 | By Tamara Cohen

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Ministers "blindsided themselves" by ignoring a warning eight months ago about the implications of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, it has been claimed.

A report submitted to the government in January laid out how the US pull-out risked undermining the Afghan government and allowing the country to descend into civil war.

But the Conservative chair of the International Relations and Defence Select Committee in the House of Lords told Sky News she was left "very disappointed" by the way the government failed to heed the concerns raised in its "UK in Afghanistan" report, published in January.

The committee interviewed dozens of experts, including former ambassadors, ministers and the former chief of defence staff, as part of its inquiry.

It found the UK had "shown little inclination to exert an independent voice on policy in Afghanistan" and "instead has followed the lead of the US and has been too reticent in raising its distinctive voice".

"The ongoing presence of UK troops in Afghanistan depends on the deployment decisions of the US," the committee's report said.

"We were disappointed by the lack of analysis of the implications of the planned US withdrawal from Afghanistan provided by ministers in their evidence.

[God luvs America]

but Boris said this is Trump’s fault!!! Screw them..