Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Defence Committee
Closed
Inquiry
The Defence Committee is inquiring into developments following the US agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 to withdraw NATO troops from Afghanistan (the Doha Agreement), which was endorsed by the NATO decision of March 2020, and will look at the planning for and execution of withdrawal of UK Armed …
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3
Recommendations
7
Conclusions
1
Report
3
Oral sessions
3
Events
Activity timeline 8 events
28 Apr
2023
2023
10 Feb
2023
2023
Report published
23 Nov
2021
2021
Oral evidence
23 Nov
2021
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
16 Nov
2021
2021
Oral evidence
16 Nov
2021
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
26 Oct
2021
2021
Oral evidence
26 Oct
2021
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
23 Nov 2021
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General David Petraeus (ret.), Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan (2010-11)
Jeff Harrison · Combat Stress
Sarah Jones · Help for Heroes
16 Nov 2021
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Panel 1; Panel 2
Brigadier (ret.) Ben Barry · International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
Dr Jack Watling · Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
Dr Neelam Raina · Afghan Solidarity Coalition
Dr Sara de Jong · The Sulha Alliance
Peter Gordon-Finlayson · The Sulha Alliance
Professor Brad Blitz · Afghan Solidarity Coalition
26 Oct 2021
View on parliament.uk
Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP · Ministry of Defence
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afghanistan | HC 725 | 10 Feb 2023 | 10 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
7 results
1
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afg…
The signing of the Doha Agreement served domestic US Administration priorities, by enabling the withdrawal...
The signing of the Doha Agreement served domestic US Administration priorities, by enabling the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan to a defined schedule. The absence of the United Kingdom, other allies and the Afghan Government from the negotiating table …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges that US negotiations were bilateral, UK influence was limited, and that the UK advocated for a continued presence while noting the increasing chance of a collapse at some point.
Ministry of Defence
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2
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afg…
Although the Defence Secretary assured us that he had attempted to find a way to...
Although the Defence Secretary assured us that he had attempted to find a way to retain a military presence in Afghanistan without the US, we recognise how difficult this would have been in practice. This shows the limits of NATO’s …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges that US negotiations were bilateral, UK influence was limited, and that the UK advocated for a continued presence while noting the increasing chance of a collapse at some point.
Ministry of Defence
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3
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afg…
Optimism bias and failures in intelligence and analysis meant that the rapid collapse of the...
Optimism bias and failures in intelligence and analysis meant that the rapid collapse of the Afghan Government was a greater surprise to the military establishment than it might have been.
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's conclusion and states that the UK's influence on the decision to withdraw was limited by the US-led process, but the UK made its concerns clear and advocated for a continued presence. The government also requested an extension to the withdrawal date which was rejected.
Ministry of Defence
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4
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afg…
If the initial goal of the NATO deployment was mainly to prevent terrorist attacks against...
If the initial goal of the NATO deployment was mainly to prevent terrorist attacks against Western nations originating in Afghanistan, current evidence suggests that while there have been no such recent attacks to date, Afghanistan is once again becoming a …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges the adverse impact on regional security and states that it had actively worked to avoid a full withdrawal, while noting the improvements made during the 20-year campaign and ongoing monitoring of the security situation.
Ministry of Defence
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5
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afg…
Technically, NATO forces were not defeated in Afghanistan.
Technically, NATO forces were not defeated in Afghanistan. However, this must not prevent the recognition that the end of the NATO mission has been severely detrimental both to the people of Afghanistan and to the security of the region, as …
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Government Response
The government agrees that the fall of Kabul had an adverse impact on regional security, and the MOD and FCDO are actively monitoring the security situation in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
Ministry of Defence
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6
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afg…
We welcome the award of medals to Armed Forces personnel who served on Operation PITTING,...
We welcome the award of medals to Armed Forces personnel who served on Operation PITTING, and recognise the success of the military operation element of the evacuation from Afghanistan—though this must not mask the wider context that the operation was …
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Government Response
The government welcomes the recognition of the military's success in the evacuation and the medallic recognition for personnel involved, while noting that the Taliban advance was expected but the timing was hard to gauge.
Ministry of Defence
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7
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Withdrawal from Afg…
The same praise, however, cannot be given to the efforts of the UK Government’s civilian...
The same praise, however, cannot be given to the efforts of the UK Government’s civilian operations in support of the evacuation. Our colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee have taken extensive evidence and reached persuasive findings in these areas. While …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's reflection on supporting civilians during the Afghanistan withdrawal and offers observations about the ARAP process, highlighting constraints and challenges faced during the operation.
Ministry of Defence
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