Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has come under fire for being ‘too busy’ to speak with his counterpart in Afghanistan as the Taliban seized control of the country.
An urgent request for help in rescuing Afghan interpreters who had supported British troops was reportedly delayed because Mr Raab was on holiday in Crete and unable to make a phone call.
The Daily Mail reported that senior officials suggested he call Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar on Friday – two days before the Taliban marched on the capital, Kabul.
They added that it was important the call was made by him, rather than a junior minister, only to be told he was ‘unavailable’ and that the foreign minister on duty could speak with Mr Atmar instead.
But the Afghan foreign ministry then refused to arrange a call with a junior minister.
The Foreign Office said: ‘The Foreign Secretary was engaged on a range of other calls and this one was delegated to another minister.’
Consequently, they did not speak until at least the next day, meaning crucial time was lost before the Taliban took control of Kabul.
The swift takeover led to chaotic scenes as thousands fled to the airport and Western powers desperately scrambled to evacuate delegates, citizens and Afghans who served alongside them.
Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said on Twitter Mr Raab’s reported actions were a ‘dereliction of duty’.
He added: ‘Failing to make a call has put the lives of brave interpreters at risk, after they served so bravely with our military. Utterly shameful.’
The decision of the Prime Minister, who is said to have gone to Somerset, and Mr Raab to take holiday while the Taliban advanced came under scrutiny during a lively Commons debate on Wednesday as Parliament was recalled from its summer break for MPs and peers to debate the Afghanistan situation.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised the pair as he told MPs: ‘You cannot co-ordinate an international response from the beach.’
Downing Street said the Prime Minister would be turning his attention to international efforts to support the Afghan people, including the emerging refugee crisis.
A No 10 spokeswoman said: ‘We are now asking our international partners to match the UK’s commitments and work with us to offer a lifeline to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable people.’
Mr Johnson and US President Joe Biden both came in for heavy criticism during the emergency debate in Parliament.
In a packed Commons chamber, the Prime Minister defended the final pull-out of British troops, saying it was an ‘illusion’ to think the international military mission could have continued without US forces.
But predecessor Theresa May was among those to take aim at Mr Johnson’s approach, accusing him of hoping ‘on a wing and a prayer it’d be all right on the night’ once the US and its allies had withdrawn from Afghanistan.
Mrs May also hit out at Mr Biden’s decision to ‘unilaterally’ pull out of Afghanistan, with senior MPs – including former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith – directing their ire at the White House incumbent.
In Afghanistan, British efforts to repatriate British nationals and local Afghan backers is continuing to gather pace despite chaotic scenes at the airport, with Taliban fighters carrying out spot checks.
Mr Johnson, in his update to MPs, said the Government had so far secured the safe return of 306 UK nationals and 2,052 Afghans during its rescue efforts.
The British ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir Laurie Bristow, said Foreign Office personnel were hoping to get ‘at least’ 1,000 people out of the country every day – but warned there were ‘days, not weeks’ left to complete the mission.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/3gfkdQs
0 Comments