Re: Afghanistan
 

If they can handle millions of people (£43 millions in fund) from Hong Kong, I don't see a problem to take 20.000 refugees over the next 4 (or 5 or never) years.

Re: Afghanistan
 

20,000 is a drop in the bucket

Re: Afghanistan
 

It will be interesting to see which countries take in the Afghans and how many. Now how they end up being housed is anyones guess seeing as a lot of countries have their own problems with homeless people or unaffordable rental markets.
Booking a hotel room could become problematic in certain areas.

Re: Afghanistan
 

Don't forget it was the US that funded and armed the Taliban on the basis that they were fighting the USSR troops who were invited in by the Afghan government in 1989. It was on the basis of 'my enemies enemy is my friend'. You reap what you sow, unfortunately the US and UK have turned their backs.

Re: Afghanistan
 

Years ago driving through the tribal are I saw a house on the hill with 19th century cannons. Asked around who lived there nobody knew, one of village elders told me years ago someone had tried to find out and was promptly fired upon. Don't know if true but wouldn't surprise me. Saw boys carrying Enfield rifles ( or copies) taller then they because of problems with nearby village- or to take shots at any government vehicles that strayed from the road going through.

Re: Afghanistan
 

One set of rules for them, one for the rest of us. Johnson and his merry band of Brexiters hardly instill confidence in this or other instances. Sad thing is probably in US or UK no one will lose their post because of this debacle. Indeed the brueacrats will claim to be yet more experienced in foreign affairs.

Re: Afghanistan
 

The government used to pay feuding neighbour warlords not to kill each other, under the guise of paying them to keep the road open. They erected towers with good fields of fire but didn't shoot anyone on the road. When a young Gordon Sinclair was reporting for the Toronto Star he took a trip worth documenting. As he prepared to relieve himself just off the road, one of his guides pulled him back, explaining that if he walked off the road he was dead. Sinclair and Hemmingway cut their teeth as cub reporters for the Star.
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209132

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...4b076670d.jpeg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...eef45cf6c0.jpg

Re: Afghanistan
 

I took a trip to the Tribal area too many years ago. Sometime in the early 90s. Went to the town of Darra. The shops seemed to be divided in thirds. One third selling drugs, another third selling guns, the other third being regular shops for food and clothing. Got invited to a gun "factory" a few miles away. AK 47s seemed to be the gun of choice. Amazing what they could manufacture with basic equipment, hand tools.

Re: Afghanistan
 

Biden's presidency is under scrutiny as never before over Afghan chaos

​​​​​​https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/19/polit...iny/index.html

​​​​​​Tom Tugendhat, a member who served with the British Army in Afghanistan, lambasted the US President's comments.
"To see their commander in chief call into question the courage of men I fought with, to claim they ran. It's shameful," Tugendhat said. "Those who have never fought for the colors they fly should be careful about criticizing those who have."

Re: Afghanistan
 

Is Tugendhat claiming that the Commander in Chief of the Afghan army was the US President? That would put the whole question of US involvement in Afghanistan in the imperial side rather than the one usually presented of assistance.
Surprised that anyone in the British army thinks of the loss of 27 cities in 9 days as anything other than failure.It does seem true that they never ran, but walked. I think I understand the point he is trying to make. "Lions led by donkeys" or similar, but he hasn't worded it well at all.

Re: Afghanistan
 

Part of a speech he made on Parliament yesterday which was applauded by all sides.

He served there and was referring to the people he served with.

Re: Afghanistan
 

What's Tugendhat's explanation for the US and it's NATO partners, including the UK, spending $87bn trying to build an Afghan military only for it to fold its cards in weeks?

Re: Afghanistan
 

i do not know you would have to ask him

You can buy weapons you can not buy leadership

Re: Afghanistan
 

It's disgusting! It truly is..............

Re: Afghanistan
 

Would have thought a speech "which was applauded by all sides" would have covered that. But apparently not.