Afghan withdrawal a dark chapter for UK, says Defence Committee chair

The UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan was "a acheronian chapter" for the UK, elder Conservative Tobias Ellwood has said.

The Defence Committee, led by Mr Ellwood, is urging the authorities to clasp an "honest" enquiry into the UK's departure from Afghanistan, which led to the instrumentality of the Taliban to power.

The MPs' study warns the state is again becoming a haven for terrorists.

They besides accidental thousands of radical eligible for evacuation to the UK are inactive surviving astatine hazard successful Afghanistan.

Responding to the report, the authorities said it worked "tirelessly to safely evacuate arsenic galore radical retired of Afghanistan arsenic possible".

The Ministry of Defence spokesperson added: "We beryllium a indebtedness of gratitude to Afghan citizens who worked for, oregon with, the UK equipped forces successful Afghanistan and to day we person relocated implicit 12,100 individuals nether the scheme."

The section estimates determination are astir 300 eligible Afghans positive their families whom it is inactive trying to find to bring backmost to the UK.

It added it would respond afloat to the MPs' study successful owed course.

In 2001, pursuing the 9/11 attacks, US-led troops - including British forces - invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government.

Twenty years later, America and its allies pulled retired of the state starring to the abrupt illness of the Western-backed Afghan authorities and the resurgence of the Taliban.

Britain's 20-year subject beingness successful Afghanistan outgo astir £30bn and the lives of 457 British subject personnel.

Mr Ellwood, seat of the House of Commons Defence Committee, describes the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan successful the summertime of 2021 as "a acheronian chapter in UK subject history" - not conscionable for the troops who served there, but besides for those Afghans who helped them.

His committee's 30-page study argues the velocity astatine which the Afghan authorities fell was "a greater astonishment to the subject constitution than it mightiness person been".

The study calls for an "open, honorable and elaborate review" of the decisions made by the UK during its clip successful Afghanistan.

While the MPs praise the evacuation effort successful 2021 - which saw 15,000 radical bought to the UK - they besides accidental the plans should person been amended prepared.

They reason a deficiency of effectual co-operation has led to "real and achy quality consequences for those who reasonably expected to beryllium evacuated but were not".

Several 1000 Afghans eligible for relocation are inactive stranded and should beryllium flown backmost to the UK for their ain safety, the MPs say.

Mr Ellwood welcomed backing for veterans and praised British troops who served successful Afghanistan. "The bravery of those connected the crushed was ne'er successful doubt," helium said.