The USA- Taliban agreement was a “rotten deal”, the UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the Daily Mail.
He stated that UK government was saddened by the way things had ended in Afghanistan. Retreating at this stage was wasteful of all the blood and resources spent in the last two decades. He informed that the UK was initially against retreating troops from Afghanistan. USA had decided to withdraw and NATO followed suit.
Since it was not possible for the UK to unilaterally set up force as “we [Britain] would have had to take ourselves out of a lot of other places around the world” Wallace stated. UK had to unwillingly retreat as well.
Furthermore, the former head of Britain’s Joint Forces Command General Richard Barrons echoed Wallace. In an interview with BBC he said that there was risk of terrorist organizations re-establishing in Afghanistan. Which represnts a future threat to western nations and their allies.
He insisted that retreat implies that the western powers did not have the stomach to see things through. As the west had retreated rather than staying and ensuring that a humantarian or political crisis doesn’t occur.
Barren’s suggested that the forces might need to return to Afghanistan in the future. But for now the damage has been done and no immediate action can be taken.
The tensions in Afghanistan have been rising ever since the troop withdrawal began. The Taliban are laying seige to the Afghan capitals. A full fledge war has broken out. With millions of civilians rendered homeless.
