Today, the Defence Secretary criticized Donald Trump for Afghanistan’s rapid collapse into the hands of Taliban.
Ben Wallace told MPs that a 2020 deal struck by the Trump administration with the Islamic extremists ‘couldn’t have been more helpful to the regime in achieving its victory’.
He made the claim during a grilling about the quick military collapse of Afghanistan. This prompted an emergency evacuation of western diplomats and forces in the summer.
The Doha, Qatar deal was the catalyst for the US to withdraw from the war-torn country by September of this year.
According to Mr Wallace, the Defense Committee heard that the Americans had’sent out a message’ to the world stating that they didn’t believe in the government at post.
He stated that the deal had removed the Taliban’s fear from the battlefield. The terms of the deal were probably more favorable for the Taliban to achieve their victory, their goal.
He denied that Nato soldiers were militarily defeated, but admitted that ‘our resolve was found wanting’.
He said that he knew “the game was over” in July.
Ben Wallace told MPs that a 2018 deal struck by the Trump administration with the Islamic extremists ‘couldn’t have been more helpful to the regime in achieving its victory’.
He made the claim during a grilling about the quick military collapse of Afghanistan. This sparked an emergency evacuation by western diplomats and forces in the summer.
In exchange for Taliban commitments to stop Afghanistan being a terrorist launchpad, the US agreed to withdraw thousands of troops.
The deal was signed in Doha by Zalmay Khalilzad (US special envoy) and Mullah Abdul-Ghani Baradar, Taliban political chief. Witness to the ceremony was US Secretary Mike Pompeo.
In exchange for Taliban commitments to stop Afghanistan being used as a launchpad for terrorist attacks, the US agreed to withdraw thousands of troops.
It established a timetable for a withdrawal of 14 months that was maintained by Joe Biden, Mr Trump’s successor. As the US allied pulled away, this withdrawal became a route for Afghan forces.
The Taliban led an aggressive offensive that took Kabul within days. Western powers were forced to humiliatingly evacuate thousands more personnel in scenes reminiscent in part of the fall in Saigon in 1975.
Mr Wallace described the 2020 deal previously as “rotten”.