Olis Johnson Faced with fierce criticism from the senior conservative party because Congressman Return to Westminster for an urgent debate on the fall of Afghanistan.
In the crowded House of Commons, Prime Minister Defended the final withdrawal UK The military said that it is an “illusion” to think that it can continue to perform international military missions without the US military.
However, when he denied that the government was not prepared for the Taliban’s lightning takeover, he faced an incredible cry that the Taliban saw the government of Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani collapse in just a few days.
In a series of fierce interventions, senior Conservative Party officials accused him of presiding over an “operation and strategic error”, which would weaken the power of the West in the eyes of its opponents.
Former prime minister Theresa May After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, nearly 20 years after British troops entered the country for the first time, they called it “a major setback in British foreign policy.”
Tory Tom Tugendhat, a former army officer in Afghanistan, said in a touching speech that received rare applause from some MPs that Britain and its Western allies had received “very severe lessons.”
“It’s not necessarily a failure, but it feels damn like it at the moment,” he said.
Mr. Johnson said that when the United States announced its intention to withdraw, the ministers had considered possible options, but they encountered the “difficult reality” that without Americans, the allies did not have the will to continue.
He said that deploying “tens of thousands” of British troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban was not “an option for the British people or this House to praise themselves.”
The Prime Minister said: “Without American logistics, American air power and American power, the West cannot continue this American-led mission, which is designed and executed to support the United States.”
“I really think that it is an illusion to believe that any of our partners are interested in the continued military presence or the military solution imposed by NATO in Afghanistan. This idea ended in the 2014 combat mission.”
Mr. Johnson stated that the U.S. withdrawal plan has been in progress for “months”-which led to the downfall of the government-and the decision to open an emergency processing center at Kabul Airport was decided two weeks ago.
He said that Britain will double its humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to 260 million pounds, and the top priority is to evacuate the remaining British nationals and Afghans who have worked with the British in the country.
However, Ms. May said that she found that the United Kingdom had failed to form an alternative coalition to maintain the Afghan government, which was “incomprehensible and worrying”.
She accused Mr. Johnson of wishing “on a wing and praying that it will be okay at night”.
“We brag about the global UK, but where is the global UK on the streets of Kabul? A successful foreign policy strategy will depend on our actions, not our words,” she said.
“Russia will not turn a blind eye to the impact of this withdrawal decision and the way it takes.
“China and other countries will not fail to notice the impact, because the West seems to be reluctant to defend its values in recent years.”
Tobias Elwood, chairman of the Conservative Defense Committee, said that the collapse of Afghanistan was the result of “operational and strategic errors.”
He said: “What we need is the backbone, courage and leadership to come forward, but when we encounter such a moment, we find that we lack.”
“As we became more isolationist, we colluded and allowed the formation of another dictatorship.”
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tugendhat said that US President Joe Biden’s criticism of the Afghan army was “shameful”.
“Those who did not fight for the colors they fly should be careful to criticize those who already have,” he said.
The leader of the Labour Party, Sir Kil Starmer, said that the government was “inadequately prepared” and Mr Johnson bears “heavy responsibility” for this.
He said that the Prime Minister has the ability to play a leading role on the international stage, but he has not been able to do so.
He said: “Desperate situations require leadership skills and also require the prime minister to cheer up from complacency.”
“We will not abandon our friends when they need them. We have an obligation to the Afghan people.”
In his speech at the end of the debate, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused the opposition leader of no “reliable” alternative to the government’s approach.
Mr. Raab said: “The leader of the Labour Party agreed with the decision to withdraw, but now, due to his foreseeable tendencies in hindsight, this honest gentleman criticized the consequences of the decision he supported.
“He didn’t have any serious or credible alternatives, or even hints, when he did this.”
Mr. Johnson stated that so far, the government has ensured the safe return of 306 British nationals and 2,052 Afghans. It has also completed 2,000 Afghan applications and more applications are being processed.
He acknowledged the sacrifices of British troops that have served in the country since 2001, and expressed his commitment to working with allies to ensure that it no longer becomes the center of international terrorism.
“Even in the heartbreaking scene we see today, I believe they should be proud of their achievements, and we should be deeply proud of them,” he said.
“They gave everything for our safety, and we have a responsibility to give everything for them to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hotbed of terrorism again.”
