John Baron, Basildon MP and Billerique Join other politicians in criticizing the British government because the remaining British nationals and their local allies tried to flee the country after the collapse of the Western-backed authorities.
Mr. Barron said he was the only Conservative MP who opposed intervention in Afghanistan and voted against it in 2010, and he has been critical of the movement.
This broader mission stems from ignorance, its goals are unrealistic, poorly executed, and severely under-resourced-even withdrawing troops is a mess
He said: “The fundamental mistake was to allow the initially limited and successful mission of deporting Al Qaeda from Afghanistan in 2001 to evolve into a broader nation-building mission in the following years, which meant that we had to fight the Taliban.
“This broader mission stems from ignorance, its goals are unrealistic, its execution is poor, and its resources are severely under-resourced-even the withdrawal is a mess.
“Our intervention now brings its responsibility. In addition to the safe evacuation of our citizens, the international community must now support those who flee the country because their lives are in danger, including those who help the British army.
“As a country, we need to do everything we can to reach and welcome refugees and asylum seekers. The priority now is to save lives.
“On behalf of successive governments, the Prime Minister apologized to the families of the deceased service personnel and those who are still paying the price for this stupid behavior.
“We also need to examine the lessons of another reckless intervention – for example, while always staying vigilant against terrorism, it distracts us from the greater threats of hostile nation-states.”
The former Secretary of Defense also joined his condemnation Tobias Elwood Conservative Party Member of Eastern Bournemouth.
Mr. Elwood described the chaotic scene at Kabul Airport-people trying to flee the country-as “Saigon 2.0”, referring to the evacuation when the North Vietnamese army occupied the city in 1975 and ended the Vietnam War.
Former British Army Captain and current Chairman of the Special Committee for Defense, Mr. Elwood wrote on Twitter: “The chaotic outflow at Kabul Airport. Apache (helicopters) are used to clear the runway.
“If this is not Saigon 2.0, I don’t know what it is. Is this how we think we will leave Afghanistan? I once again call for a British investigation.”
Johnny Mercer, a Conservative MP who served in Afghanistan and a former defense secretary, said on Twitter that ministers need to “take responsibility” and that Afghanistan “should be better than zero response this weekend.”
Wealden’s Conservative MP Nus Ghani told the BBC “lack of vision and lack of understanding of Afghanistan”.
She said: “What message are we going to pass on now? Working with us means we will walk away and you will be slaughtered by the Taliban.”
She added: “We have brought this country back for 20 years in one fell swoop.”
The British government is facing increasing pressure to withdraw its troops from the country. Parliament will be recalled on Wednesday so that members of Parliament can discuss the crisis.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson stated that he admitted that this will be an “extremely difficult period” for those involved in the conflict.
When asked if Mr. Johnson would apologize, he said: “Listen, I fully understand that this must be an extremely difficult time for service personnel serving in Afghanistan and the families of those who have lost their loved ones.
“As the Prime Minister said, Britain can be proud of what it has done in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. Thanks to their sacrifices, we have not seen Al Qaeda attack the West for a long time. Girls and young women are educated in Afghanistan, which cannot be taken away.”
