Foreign Affairs Committee Chair slams Western pullout from Afghanistan
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, who served in Afghanistan, has heavily criticised the decision to pull out troops.
In a series of emotional tweets conservative MP Tom Tugendhat said: “If you think I’m taking the news from Afghanistan badly and personally, you’re right.”
“The decision to withdraw is like a rug pulled from under the feet of our partners. No air support, none of the maintenance crews able to service their equipment – that was done by US contractors, now gone” he added.
When the war with Iraq broke out in 2003 Tugendhat was mobilised to serve with the Royal Marines taking on a series of advisory and combative roles in Afghanistan before leaving the military in 2013.
The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated rapidly since US and NATO forces began to withdraw in May. The Taliban has regained control of key territories and the UN estimates that 1,000 civilians have been killed in the past month.
The majority of UK troops have left the area with the US pullout expected to be completed by August 31.
Tudgenhat urged government to rethink the withdrawal, calling the decision “unnecessary and “wasteful.” He added: “I’ve seen what it costs and what sacrifices are being thrown away.”
While Tudgenhat accepted that the situation in Afghanistan was “not perfect” prior to the decision to leave he said that the government still had choices and that “Investing in ourselves, our allies and partners has never been easier or more important.”
Some 4,000 British citizens believed to be in the country are being helped to evacuate by 600 UK troops who were sent to Afghanistan this week.
Read more: UK to deploy 600 troops to Afghanistan as Brits evacuate