Afghan exit was a failure of leadership
The botched withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan last summer was a low point in the West’s recent military and diplomatic disengagements. It was described by the Commons foreign affairs committee as a “disaster” and a “betrayal” that will damage the UK’S interests for years.
This is a bit harsh since the lead role was played by the Americans when Joe Biden ordered US troops home after almost 19 years in the country. That decision led to a far more rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban than had been expected, representing a failure of intelligence. Within days, the fundamentalists were back in charge in Kabul, making the evacuation of troops and vulnerable Afghani civilians who had worked with Nato forces hard to achieve.
This all happened in August when many key ministers and officials were away on holiday, for which they can hardly be blamed given the time of year. But once the scale of the crisis was apparent, the response was found wanting. People who should have returned immediately to take command of the country’s response failed to do so.
Even though the speed of the Taliban’s recapture of the country took planners by surprise, the prospect of an American troop withdrawal had been known for more than a year since Donald Trump had already signalled that the deployment would come to an end in 2021. This should have meant that all the necessary arrangements had been made for this eventuality. Yet the committee found that the Foreign Office in particular had failed to offer a lead and mismanaged affairs to such an extent that it “likely cost lives”.
Most damning of all, the MPS said they had lost confidence in the department’s top civil servant, Sir Philip Barton, and urged him to consider his position. The fact that he, the then foreign secretary Dominic Raab and the Prime Minister were all on leave marked “a fundamental lack of seriousness, grip or leadership at a time of national emergency”.
These are serious charges that the Government should address. It should not hide behind assertions that there had been “intensive planning” when everyone could see the unfolding shambles on their television screens every night. The circumstances were not easy; but those in government tasked with taking difficult decisions quickly and effectively must acknowledge their failure to do so if lessons are to be learned.