Waste of our work
FOR 20 years British Armed Forces have worked hard and sacrificed much to help transform Afghanistan.
They did it to rid the world of a terrorist safe-haven, establish democratic government and open up opportunities for women and girls.
All that’s been achieved in Afghanistan is now in deep jeopardy from the Taliban.
Western strategists badly underestimated the speed and scale of their advance.
There are lessons from the longterm failure to forge a lasting political settlement, build up Afghan government legitimacy and set sound terms for the full NATO withdrawal to maintain political power and prevent further bloodshed in Kabul.
But the immediate imperative is to ensure we don’t abandon Afghanistan and allow it to become a base for extremist terrorism again.
The loss of all that was hard-won is not inevitable and we are not powerless.
Fight
That is why Labour is calling on the Government to spell out what options are available and achievable, to support the Afghan government so they have the means to fight back.
Friday’s meeting of NATO ambassadors was welcome but the Prime Minister should now press for an emergency NATO summit, with the political leadership exploring steps that could be taken to prevent a protracted Afghan civil war.
There should also be an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to rally support for the Afghan government.
This is now a big test of UK international leadership and Tory claims about “Global Britain”.
Britain must play a leading role in international efforts to support refugees, restore cuts to development and ensure Afghans and their families eligible for relocation reach the UK safely.
These interpreters have been hugely important to British forces and the UK has a debt of honour to look after them.
Two decades on, this is not the way we should be withdrawing from Afghanistan and Britain must not walk away from the Afghan people.