As the two-year commemoration of Operation Pitting approaches, the UK’s evacuation effort from Kabul in August 2021, the Labour Party has released a detailed dossier on Government actions.

The report offers a look into the government’s actions and decisions concerning the Afghan crisis before and after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

Titled the ‘Afghan Dossier of Failure,’ the document brings to light several key observations:

  • The relocation of an estimated 200 Afghans by the UK government prior to Kabul’s fall.
  • An extensive backlog in Afghan applications, which is believed to have reached around 116,000.
  • Four instances of data breaches in just six months associated with the Ministry of Defence’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

John Healey, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, said:

“The Conservatives have failed the brave Afghans who supported our troops before the fall of Afghanistan, and they have failed them since. From broken housing promises and ballooning backlogs, to data breaches and the Ministry of Defence even telling ARAP applicants to get the Taliban to verify their documents, this is a shameful saga of Government failure on multiple fronts.

This is one of the most comprehensive failures of Ministerial leadership and competence in recent times. Britain’s moral duty to assist these Afghans is felt most fiercely by the UK forces they served alongside. As we mark the second anniversary of the complex and courageous military airlift during Operation Pitting, Ministers must act now to fix the multiple failings in their Afghan schemes.”

Furthermore, the dossier raises concerns about the housing provisions for evacuated Afghans. Many have been placed in hotels within the UK and Pakistan, prompting questions about the long-term feasibility of such arrangements and the fiscal implications.

Recently, a statement from Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer indicated that close to 8,000 Afghans, half of whom are children, would soon transition from their hotel accommodations.

The remarkable efforts of UK forces during Operation Pitting are highlighted as well. This operation, the most expansive British evacuation mission since World War II, involved over 1,000 UK military personnel. They managed to safely evacuate roughly 15,000 individuals, a mix of British nationals and Afghans, from Kabul’s airport amidst the challenges presented by the Taliban’s rise to power.

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

34 COMMENTS

  1. I have to ask that if we made up just 10% of nato forces in Afghanistan and there are 116,000 Afghan’s who “supported” us that would suggest there is over 1 million people being resettled to other nato countries which is clearly not happening.

    I would suggest if so many Afghans had supported nato the Taliban would not be in power.

    Allowing every man and his dog with tenuous links to the uk that worked for some “British NGO” to apply crowds out the genuine Afghan soldiers and their families who actually did stand and fight not just switch to the taliban at the first sign of a fight.

    How many Afghans worked for Estonia or Hungary and are applying for resettlement?

    • I remember the scenes well as they all ran after aircraft trying to get on board. Its a pity they all didn’t put the same effort into fighting for the freedom that allegedly meant so much to them.

    • The initial resettlement program denied those who had been sacked resettlement to the Uk , this included, thieving, drug taking, rape, murder, subscription to anti-government forces or even a very poor ethic. The problem is the media (and political parties not in government) kind of leave out that little snippet when playing the bring these heroes home (to the UK) card and things aren’t helped when David (its racist for the Vatican to use black and white smoke in which to inform the world regards the choosing of the new Pontif) Lammy goes off his own back to Afghanistan to sit down with the Taliban, whilst totally whitewashing their abysmal human rights record.

    • !00 million per cent agree with you. Are these Afghans not mercenaries I mean they were supporting us because of money why do we owe them a place in the UK?

    • I suspect it was written a while ago. The battle for the next election is underway. Labour have chosen the best time to publish it. The Tories are on the back foot with immigration. Stick the boot in while they are down and go for ministers – cut the head off the snake.

      • Yep. Your right I think. Interestingly, though, more illegals entered the country under Tony Blair than are entering now. Strange old world.🙄

        • Both major parties have supporters for low wage mass immigration. We’re apparently addicted to this economic measure.

          • Probably true but as always somebody has to the low pay jobs. Germany and France and others are the same.

          • Low pay and mass immigration are nothing new to be fair. In the late 50’s, 60’s and 70’s you had mass immigration from the Caribbean, India and Ireland.

            From the 90’s its been Europeans, now in the 2020’s its African and Middle Eastern migrants.

            Mass migration and immigration happening at once, can stifle wages at the lower end. You wont see Train Drivers, Airport Workers, Doctors, Nurses or Teachers standing on picket lines, supporting low paid workers!

            According to the Office for National Statistics, the proportion of low paid workers, made up 14.2% of the UK Workforce. (base on hourly pay)

            In April 2022, the ONS estimated that over 1.6 million people were paid at or below the National minimum Wage.

            Any Government benefits from a mass immigration and low pay policy. More workers, more jobs more taxpayers. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

        • Wouldn’t be surprised if the government is thinking of an autumn election. Some quick hits with barges for immigrants, inflation falling, blame doctors for the NHS backlog, keep the middle class rural voters onside by easing the messianic plans for heat pumps, reduce inhertance tax and chatacterise daemon Sadiq Khan as the labour Ulez policy. I notice Starmer has suddenly dropped Labour plans for nationwide ulez zones. Its great spectator sport 🙂

          • Nothing would surprise me. You could lose more money betting on a politicians guarantees that on the gee gees.🏇

      • I think you’ll find it’s called a misunderstanding.🙄 This happens when you’re have too many meetings with American presidents.

  2. A certain Labour MP, son of a labour leader and husband of a former Danish PM criticised the Govts efforts on this very subject via a letter. He was given short shrift as he never actually attended the commons debate which would have answered all his questions before the letter was written.
    Basically, he was told to stop being “a dick” for attempting political point scoring.
    Labour seems to be going after one MP/Minister in an effort to take his seat in an election.

    Anyway, yes, it’s not been a great response to the issue but the Govt where hardly dealt a winning hand when the plastic paddy did his own thing with almost zero notice.

    • French got out quick and in Sudan. Was it because we could not be seen to be pulling out as a primary partner of the alliance forces? It was said there was a prepared evac plan, from the tv documentary I saw, it was left to heroic lower military ranks to improvise on the spot. Big dom rab was contactable whilst on holidays, massive effort mate.

    • Quite, it was Biden’s rapid exit that actually meant the whole thing became a sh1t show. Of course he blamed his predecessor pretty much a go to for a politician.

  3. Labour should remember who took us in there to begin with and how they purposefully lied to parliament to get it done.

    • Labour Def Sec Reid – ” troops were there to help the Afghan reconstruction effort and “would be perfectly happy to leave without firing a shot.”

      The naivety of that comment back in 2006 is staggering

  4. There well be many failures within the entire evacuation, but the failure of your Allied partner to even tell you of there plans. was a bigger failure.

    Labour misses the point that WHERE DO YOU FIND accommodation for these people at short notice, when your own can sit on a council list for 10 plus years.

    like many things Labour spends to much time finding fault and have Nothing on how to fix it.

    Mass migration by free loading young men, Heading to countries that are pushing Gender equality, what could go wrong

  5. The lesson learned should be this: do not try and nation-build in a country where most of the population sees you as just another invader.

    You cannot impose Western-style democracy in such places as Afghanistan, clearly, it’s not wanted and they would prefer their own tribal and religious-based culture.

    Once Bin Laden had been eliminated we should have gotten out of there.

    • It wasn’t as easy as that. Kicking the Taliban in the teeth and getting rid of Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda scum left a massive power vacuum. Who do you get to fill it? The election system put in place was highly tribal based, where tribal chiefs and warlords either were on the electoral roll or had their man on it. By Western standards it was highly corrupted, but it worked of a fashion. You knew each players pros and cone, but especially their vices. Which actually made making deals and getting things done a lot easier.

      However, the whole system was like a house of cards kept up by the support of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Police. Sadly the local lads in the ANA were in the best respect pretty dire. Having been on a training team, I can put my hand on my heart and state, it would have taken at least another generation for them to not only stand their ground in a firefight, but also to put into place what they were taught. The majority even though they had been through the same scenario in training, reverted to type as soon as they got into contact. There were a fair few who got it, who were promoted to the Noncom cadre, who were even then directed into the Afghan SF.

      I do know, one of the guys who was on my team made it out of Afghan with his daughters. His wife didn’t make, they are currently living in Holland. The other two, I have not heard anything from them since Kandahar fell to the Taliban.

  6. We need a clearly agreed protocol about resettlement in the UK. It needs to say that the UK is an overcrowded country now full up, where the interests of the dwindling original inhabitants take precedent in all matters at all times.
    If we go and fight a war of liberation and the people of that country cop out, dont fight their darndest, the rules are clear and we restrict evacuees to our close associates and their immediate family and that may also be reviewed.
    We have been gamed time and time again by people who seek our way of life till it now presents an existential threat to our own people. Lets make this clear for once and for all, we arent going on a reservation. Labour lecturing us. No thanks.

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