''Imbecilic'': Ex-UK PM Tony Blair slams Afghan withdrawal
London, Aug 22: Tony Blair, the British prime minister who deployed troops to Afghanistan 20 years ago after the 9/11 attacks, says the US decision to withdraw from the country has every Jihadist group round the world cheering.
In a lengthy essay posted on his website late Saturday, the former Labour Party leader said the sudden and chaotic pullout that allowed the Taliban to reclaim power risked undermining everything that had been achieved in Afghanistan over the past two decades, including advances in living standards and the education of girls.
"The abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours, said Blair who served as prime minister during 1997-2007, a period that also saw him back the US-led war in Iraq in 2003.
The world is now uncertain of where the West stands because it is so obvious that the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by grand strategy but by politics," he added.
Blair also accused US President Joe Biden of being in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending the forever wars', as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even 10 years ago."
The former prime minister, whose reputation in the UK took a dive from the failure to find the alleged weapons of mass destruction that were cited as justification for US coalition's invasion of Iraq, said Britain has a moral obligation to stay in Afghanistan until everyone who needs to be evacuated is taken out.
We must evacuate and give sanctuary to those to whom we have responsibility those Afghans who helped us and stood by us and have a right to demand we stand by them," he said.
Like other nations, Britain is trying to evacuate Afghan allies as well as its own citizens from Afghanistan, but with a US-imposed August 31 deadline hovering into view, it's a race against time.
In addition to the 4,000 or so UK citizens, the country is thought to have around 5,000 Afghan allies, such as translators and drivers, earmarked for a seat on a plane.
The Ministry of Defense said Sunday that nearly 4,000 people had been evacuated so far.
Blair conceded that mistakes were made over the past two decades but added that military interventions can be noble in intent, especially when challenging an extreme Islamist threat.
Today we are in a mood which seems to regard the bringing of democracy as a utopian delusion and intervention virtually of any sort as a fool's errand." he said.
Blair also warned that the decision by the US to keep Britain largely in the dark about the withdrawal risks relegating the country to the second division of global powers.
However, he said the UK, in its role as the current president of the Group of Seven nations, was in a position to help coordinate an international response to hold the new regime to account .
Britain's Conservative government has been working diplomatically to ensure there is no unilateral recognition of a Taliban government in Afghanistan.
We need to draw up a list of incentives, sanctions, actions we can take including to protect the civilian population so the Taliban understand their actions will have consequences," Blair said.
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Trump threatens to bomb Iran if no deal by Wednesday amid uncertainty over peace talks
Washington/Islamabad (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to bomb Iran if they do not agree to a deal before the end of the two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, even as Pakistan urged the two sides to extend the truce and give diplomacy a chance.
Trump had indicated that his team of negotiators could reach Islamabad by Monday night for talks, while the Iranian delegation was also expected to travel to Islamabad, but so far, there was no sign of any peace maker in Islamabad.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday evening said his country was still waiting for a formal response from Iran regarding its participation in the second round of talks with the US.
Underlining that the ceasefire ends at 4:50 am PST Wednesday, he said, "Decision from Iran to attend the talks before the end of the two-week ceasefire is critical."
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Trump said that if the ceasefire ends without an agreement, he is prepared to resume attacking Iran. "I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with,” he told CNBC’s 'Squawk Box'.
When asked if he would extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow time for the peace talks to reach a deal to end the war, Trump said, “Well, I don’t want to do that.”
“They have to negotiate. And, you know, the one thing I’ll say is this: Iran can get themselves on a very good footing. If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again,” he added.
The President said he thinks the US is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the weeks-long war.
"I think they have no choice,” Trump said when asked about his expectations from the second round of negotiations with Iran.
"We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders,” he said.
“We’ve taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way, but these leaders are much more rational,” Trump said. “It is regime change, no matter what you want to call it, which is not something I said I was going to do, but I’ve done it indirectly.”
The first round of the US-Iran talks held on 11 and 12 April failed to produce the desired results for the parties, leading to a flurry of activities by host Pakistan to cool tempers and raise hopes for another round of dialogue.
Amidst uncertainty over the US-Iran talks, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged the two sides to extend the two-week ceasefire and give diplomacy a chance.
Dar, who is also the Foreign Minister, met US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A Baker in Islamabad and discussed recent regional developments.
Dar underscored Pakistan’s consistent emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable means to address challenges and achieve lasting regional peace and stability, the foreign office said in a statement.
“He stressed the need for engagement between the United States and Iran, urged both sides to consider extending the ceasefire, and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance,” it said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also met the envoys of the US and Iran on Tuesday and discussed matters related to the peace talks.
Separately, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong called on Dar and discussed the latest regional developments, the FO said.
Jiang conveyed China’s full support for and appreciation of Pakistan’s continued efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran for sustained peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Dar reaffirmed the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, underscored the strength of bilateral ties, and emphasised the importance of sustained high-level exchanges between the two countries.
He also held a telephonic conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the latest regional developments.
They emphasised the importance of dialogue and engagement for peace and stability, and agreed to remain in close contact, according to FO.
Despite ambiguity, Trump expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead, and he wished for an agreement to prevent further oil price rises and stock market shocks, but insisted Iran cannot have the means to develop a nuclear weapon.
Pakistan launched preparations on Sunday by deploying over 10,000 personnel to provide security to the foreign delegates.
Though some reports suggested that security teams from the two countries were already in the Pakistani capital to oversee preparations.
Citing three US sources, American news outlet Axios earlier reported that Vice President J D Vance is expected to depart for Islamabad by Tuesday morning for talks with Iran over a potential deal to end the war. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are likely to join Vance.
Tehran hopes to leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz to strike a deal that averts a restart of the war, eases sanctions, but does not impede its nuclear program.
The situation remains fluid amid heated rhetoric from both sides. Still, there is hope that the second round would be held or at least the ceasefire would be extended, which is ending on Wednesday.
The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran was tested once again on Sunday when a US guided-missile destroyer fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship after it tried to get past the US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, further angering the Iranians.
