Boris And The Kabul Mess

[needawin]

People being pulled from their houses and executed. Absolute chaos and heart breaking scenes at the airport.
Boris's comment, "Things are slightly improved today". As if he was talking about The weather.
The man is an imbecile.

[naomi24]

What was he talking about?

[dannyk13]

Don't blame Boris, this foul up lies squarely on Biden who decided to withdraw the troops form Afghanistan. The only option for our troops was to follow suit.

[emmie]

not sure what was said but this might help

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58254794

[naomi24]

That’s the debate from two days ago, emmie.

[Bobbisox1]

Calling someone an imbecile that’s had more thrown at him in his current short term in the job is a reckless slur, just imagine dealing with
Brexit
A Pandemic &
Afghanistan
No other PM in peacetime has had this to do

[emmie]

i thought there might be something in there that relates, perhaps not.
i did hear him say that things are slightly improved on the news last night....

[naomi24]

I wonder what he meant?

[emmie]

getting people out perhaps, unsure to be honest,

[Gromit]

Trump agreed the pull out of Afghanistan 18 months ago.
Biden made a mess of it, as did the UK.
They had a year and a half to prepare but it seemed to catch them by surprise.
They seemed to believe they could leave and the Taliban would be slow to capitalise.
This is what they were saying 10 days ago.

// military experts predict that Kabul, the Afghan capital, may fall within 30 to 90 days. Some lawmakers are taking that prediction with a grain of salt, according to a congressional aide, although they say that the Taliban may be able to seize the heavily fortified city in six months to a year. //

For once I do not blame Johnson. He was badly let down by his colleagues, particularly Raab who should be sacked.

Our Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence have failed miserably. They knew 18 months ago that the US were leaving, but judging by the mess this week, they did nothing.

[vulcan42]

All through the pandemic and the continuing push to slow down global warning we have been told by people on this site that the governments should listen to the experts, they know best. On this occasion the American and UK listened to the experts and worked on the prediction that Kabul would be taken between 30 days and a year. Well, the experts got it totally wrong but as usual the governments get the blame, the usual ensued, damned whatever they do.

[Gromit]

In hindsight the prediction of the Taliban takeover taking a year are laughably wrong.

I can only assume it was collective self delusion.
Everyone knew we had to leave sometime, but we convinced ourselves the event wouldn’t be too bad. Then it was ten times worse than we feared.

[Gromit]

vulcan42

Those experts are the Government, not outside strategists. The UK Foreign Office and the US State Department have all the intel from Ambassadors and spies and telecommunication intercepts. They had all that, but still read the tea leaves wrong.

[margarettom]

Why is this post in Chatterbank?

[vulcan42]

gromit, the experts in this case were military intelligence of both UK and USA forces.

[youngmafbog]

Now I am no Johnson fan but how can you call him an imbecille?

It wasnt him that ordered the withdrawal of troops overnight you know.

And just what do you expect him to do? Fly in 20,000 troops and reinvade? Because that's the only other option at present.

[ynnafymmi]

As i have said a million times before(stop exaggerating Myff),Britain should never involve itself in foreign wars.The first world war-the kaiser was never going to invade Britain,the second world war-Hitler was only ever wanting to defeat Stalins socialists.The Korean war-What The Funicular.We stayed out of Vietnam only thanks to Harold Wilson.The Iraq and Afghanistan adventures-British lives lost for no reason.Just stay out of future wars please Britain.

[maggiebee]

Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban's new U.S.-made war chest. Can't see this improving anything in the near future.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/planes-guns-night-vision-goggles-talibans-new-us-made-war-chest-2021-08-19/

[ynnafymmi]

Still cant see them invading Britain any time soon, maggie.