Tony Blair condemns ‘tragic, dangerous’ US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Former prime minister says jihadist groups will be ‘cheering’ return of the Taliban
Tony Blair has warned that the return of the Taliban will see “every jihadist group round the world cheering”, as he said that there was now a moral obligation for Western troops to stay until all those eligible are evacuated from Afghanistan.
In a lengthy essay published on his website last night, the former prime minister who ordered British troops to join the US-led invasion said that the hasty withdrawal had been a “tragic, dangerous, unnecessary” decision that undermined the West’s aims. He accused US President Biden of being motivated by “an imbecilic political slogan about ending ‘the forever wars’, as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even 10 years ago”.