John Major slams ‘very stupid’ troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

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The former prime minister, Sir John Major, said the withdrawal from Afghanistan was “strategically very stupid” and the failure to evacuate all Afghans who worked for Britain was “a shame”.

The Conservative Party said on Saturday that a move to withdraw Allied forces “abruptly and in my opinion unnecessary” would be a “disgrace on the reputation of the West” for at least a lifetime.

Sir John’s stinging criticism came after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab returned from his diplomatic tour to try to help those left behind after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

It is feared that thousands of Afghans who aided the British effort there, their relatives and other vulnerable civilians have been left behind after the United States decided to withdraw its forces.

Speaking at the FT Weekend Festival, Sir John said: “I think we were wrong when we left Afghanistan, I think we were wrong morally but also practically wrong.

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I think it was a shame that we could not expel those who worked with us in one way or another, or who worked to implement changes in Afghanistan that the Taliban would not agree to.

“I also think it’s strategically very stupid.”

The former prime minister rebuked US President Joe Biden for insisting that his forces must leave the country so quickly by the difficult deadline of the end of August after two decades in Afghanistan.

“The fact that it is left like this will leave a stain on the reputation of the West that will last for a very long time and certainly for the life of those people in Afghanistan who are back in Taliban rule,” Sir John said.

Raab, who was criticized for vacationing in Crete in August as the Taliban came to power, was unable to say how many Afghans were left behind.

More than 8,000 former Afghan employees and their family members were among more than 15,000 people evacuated by the UK since August 13.

But it is estimated that as many as 1,100 Afghans deemed eligible are left behind, although this figure would be less than the real number the UK is willing to help.

Meanwhile, a senior Tory MP, Tobias Ellwood, has called for an end to the “indecent and unprofessional” rift between Mr Raab and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.

This week, the foreign secretary blamed intelligence for the UK’s impact on the speed of the Taliban’s takeover.

But Mr. Wallace said he argued in July that “the game is over” in Afghanistan and noted that “it’s not about intelligence failures, it’s about intelligence limits.”

Mr Ellwood, chair of the House of Commons Defense Committee, said the UK had “caused further damage to its reputation in the unattractive blame game on Afghanistan that has been circulated publicly between the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office”.

“This inappropriate and unprofessional quarrel must stop,” he wrote in the Observer.

The Foreign Secretary held talks in Pakistan to discuss British and Afghan nationals crossing the land border in search of safety.

He also visited Qatar for talks on reopening Kabul airport to resume evacuations.

As Parliament returns from summer recess on Monday, Raab and Boris Johnson are expected to come under renewed pressure to explain their response to the crisis and how they will help more people leave the country.

The prime minister or foreign secretary is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons during the week.

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