At a special session on Afghanistan, British lawmakers criticized the US president’s decision to withdraw foreign troops from the country and called it catastrophic.
According to IRNA on Thursday, representatives of various political parties, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, blamed Britain’s closest ally for the current crisis in Afghanistan. They accused Biden of destabilizing the country with the irresponsible withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
This is the first time that the British Parliament has criticized the policy of a US president as its closest ally. The commanders of the British army, who led the British forces in the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, claimed in yesterday’s parliamentary session that the US decision would strengthen the positions of Russia and China in Afghanistan.
Analysts believe that developments in Afghanistan have caused a rift in British and American foreign policy. Just 20 years ago, Britain joined the United States in a military strike against Afghanistan under the pretext of countering terrorism.
Members of the British Parliament yesterday accused the government of Boris Johnson and stated that the developments in Afghanistan are the worst tragedy in the last 65 years in the foreign policy of this country. Former British Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement that Johnson did not provide enough support to the Afghan government after the US position was clarified. The British Prime Minister, who took a part-time vacation to attend a special session of Parliament, responded that the fall of the Afghan government took place much faster than expected. He claimed that London had succeeded in its mission in Afghanistan and had “taken all necessary steps with the aim of stabilizing Afghanistan”. Johnson added that without the United States and its logistical support, a presence in Afghanistan would not have been possible for Western countries.
“Although the United States is an important ally of the United Kingdom, it is a mistake to ignore the fact that Afghan forces have not been at the forefront of the war in recent years and are not sufficiently prepared,” he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Dewey also said that the US decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was not only wrong, but that Donald Trump’s flawed agreement with the Taliban to Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw catastrophically was a compensable mistake.
Tom Toghandat, chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, and his predecessor, Crispin Blunt, also called Biden’s remarks that Afghan troops had fled to the Taliban shameful. Former British Deputy Foreign Secretary Tobias Alwood also described the US policy towards Afghanistan as “unfortunate”. Lord Howard, a former leader of the Conservative ruling party, also noted that the US decision would always be seen as a catastrophic mistake throughout history.
According to reports, Philip Reeker, the head of the US embassy, met with Boris Johnson, the foreign policy adviser at the Prime Minister’s Office, yesterday and the two sides exchanged views on developments in Afghanistan.
In an interview with the news media, the British Foreign Secretary called for a pragmatic approach to the Taliban and said that the reality of the group’s rise to power must be accepted. “Britain and its allies need to make the most of the situation and put pressure on the Taliban to make sure the group is different and more moderate than the old version,” said Dominique Robb.
He, meanwhile, is under pressure from opposition political parties for his personal activities as the Taliban advance into Afghanistan. Shadow cabinet minister Lisa Nandi says Rob should step down or remove him as prime minister.
The G7 foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the situation in Afghanistan today. Boris Johnson has also called for a virtual G7 summit in this area.
