LISA NANDY: Concerns over war-torn Afghanistan

They did it to rid the world of a terrorist safe-haven, establish democratic government and open up opportunities for women and girls to access education and enjoy the freedoms we take for granted in this country.

Yet now the many gains that UK soldiers, diplomats, charity workers and their coalition and Afghan partners struggled to secure are unravelling before our eyes as ruthless Taliban fighters again seize control of the country. It is a crushing blow for ordinary Afghan citizens who now face the prospect of having their lives torn to pieces by the new regime.

Since 2001 more than 150,000 members of our armed forces have served in Afghanistan. The war has cost the lives of 457 British servicemen and women and a further estimated 2,000 British military and civilian personnel were wounded in action. Here in Wigan we still honour the life and mourn the loss of Sergeant Steven Darbyshire of 40 Commando Royal Marines.

From speaking to veterans who served in Afghanistan and the friends and families of soldiers who tragically lost their lives I know the true impact that the UK’s involvement in the country has had on many people in our community. Thousands of those who served in Afghanistan have been left with life-changing injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and major depression as a result of their service.

Is it any wonder then that as they watch the chaos that is now unfolding, many of those veterans and the loved ones of those who were lost are publicly questioning whether the sacrifices they made could have been in vain?

The botched withdrawal of US and UK troops little over a month ago has plunged Afghanistan into crisis. The Governments of both countries catastrophically overestimated the ability of the Afghan Government and the Afghan National Army and Police forces to hold off the Taliban while also underestimating the Taliban’s ability to advance throughout the country. As Taliban fighters swept across Afghanistan and into the capital Kabul our government remained shamefully silent. The Foreign Secretary reportedly ignored the advice of officials not to go abroad on holiday while the situation in Afghanistan disintegrated, only returning on Sunday night when the Afghan president had already fled the country and Taliban fighters were pictured in the presidential palace in Kabul.

The Government must face up to this growing crisis. The immediate priority must be accelerated efforts to get the estimated 4,000 UK nationals and the Afghans who supported us out of the country. The threat of retaliation from the Taliban towards these individuals is great and the Government was right to deploy troops to Kabul to provide security and capacity to do this.

However, the Government has been far too slow to set up an effective evacuation programme to get stranded UK nationals safely home and provide sanctuary to those Afghans who have served alongside and supported the British presence in Afghanistan. I have received emails from constituents in Wigan who are still in contact with Afghan interpreters that worked with UK forces and who are now struggling to secure visas that would allow them to flee the country. This is a shameful dereliction of duty. Our resettlement scheme must urgently be expanded to ensure we support those people just as they supported us.

The Taliban’s return is also likely to lead to a refugee crisis. The UK Government must put in place specific safe and legal asylum routes and help support Afghans who are fleeing to neighbouring states.

More broadly the Government must immediately consult with our allies across the world and key countries in the region about the implications of the collapse of the Afghan government. There needs to be a coordinated approach from the international community to the changing situation on the ground, and a strategy to try to protect the gains made in the last 20 years. With the Taliban in charge there is a real risk of a humanitarian disaster, particularly for women and girls in Afghanistan. It is utterly shameful that the Government has slashed development support to the country by 45% just as it faces such massive upheaval. The UK must show it is taking immediate steps to ensure aid reaches those in need – a complex task now that the Taliban are in control and many aid agencies have left the country - to prevent a humanitarian crisis from taking hold.

It is right that Government has finally agreed to Labour’s calls to bring back Parliament this week to debate the situation, but they have taken too long to act. This week the Government must lay out clear plans to avert a humanitarian crisis and prevent the country becoming a safe-haven for international terrorists and a threat once more to us all.

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