Government did not think Kabul would fall to Taliban this year, Dominic Raab admits

Dominic Raab has admitted the Government did not think Afghanistan would fall to the Taliban this year, as he faced a grilling from MPs on the unfolding crisis.
By Caitlin Doherty
Published 1st Sep 2021, 15:48 BST
Updated 1st Sep 2021, 15:50 BST

The Foreign Secretary also revealed that he will be travelling “to the region” following the Wednesday afternoon session.

Answering questions from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Mr Raab said the UK Government assessment was that it was “unlikely” the capital Kabul would be taken by the group in 2021.

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He explained: “The central assessment that we were operating to, and it was certainly backed up by the JIC (Joint Intelligence Committee) and the military, is that the most likely, the central proposition, was that given the troop withdrawal by the end of August, you’d see a steady deterioration from that point and it was unlikely Kabul would fall this year.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab giving evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in London, about the Government's handling of the Afghanistan crisis. (House of Commons)Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab giving evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in London, about the Government's handling of the Afghanistan crisis. (House of Commons)
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab giving evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in London, about the Government's handling of the Afghanistan crisis. (House of Commons)

The Cabinet Minister did not give exact details of his upcoming trip to the area, citing security concerns, but told the MPs in attendance:“We’re always very careful about signalling travel movements because of the security implications.

“But I can tell you I’m leaving after this committee to go to the region.”

The Prime Minister’s special representative for Afghan transition, Sir Simon Gass, has already travelled to Qatar to meet “senior Taliban representatives” about allowing people to leave Afghanistan.

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The Foreign Secretary faced intense criticism when it was revealed that he was on holiday in Crete as Kabul fell to the Taliban, however, when pressed for more precise details on the timing he refused to offer more information, labelling the questions a “fishing expedition”.

While he did say he “would not have gone away with the benefit of hindsight,” but added: “I am not going to start adding to, frankly, the fishing expedition beyond the facts that I have articulated and the fulsome statement and having answered questions on this continuously.”

Related topics:Dominic RaabTalibanGovernmentAfghanistanMPs