A slip of the tongue by the opposition leader involuntarily summed up the shadow boxing in the lower house: "Everything that we lost, uh, achieved in Afghanistan is now threatened," said Labor leader Keir Starmer.

Before him, the Prime Minister had already tried to gain positive feedback from the largely failed mission in the Hindu Kush and assured him that “the future of Afghanistan has not yet been written”.

One must now “help the Afghans to choose the best possible future,” said Boris Johnson.

Jochen Buchsteiner

Political correspondent in London.

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Both the government and the opposition, which had equally supported the war in Afghanistan for the past twenty years, found it difficult on Wednesday to relentlessly account for the depressing end of the military operation;

that was left to individual MPs.

The parliamentarians had been called back from vacation under the impression of the rapid overthrow in Afghanistan.

It also became the first full-time session of the House of Commons since the beginning of the pandemic.

The mask requirement was lifted, but this did not prevent many MPs, especially on the benches of the opposition, from wearing protection.

Many criticized Washington’s decision to withdraw NATO troops.

Johnson: "Core Mission Success"

Tom Tugendhat, an Afghanistan veteran and now chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, was particularly indignant about Joe Biden's reasoning.

The fact that the American president had questioned the courage of the Afghan army, which lost 69,000 men in the fight against the Taliban, was "shameful".

The West has lost its determination and its patience to win wars, complained the Tory politician and proposed the idea of ​​an alliance that “does not depend on a single ally”.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May also criticized Washington's lack of independence and spoke of a “severe setback for British foreign policy”.

"Where is Global Britain on the streets of Kabul?" She asked billy.

Johnson also showed distance to Biden.

He spoke of a “success of the core mission”, which he sees in the destruction of the terror camps in Afghanistan, and “fragile progress” such as elections and schooling for girls.

After Washington's decision to withdraw, his government was considering options to “stay longer” - with a larger presence of its own and new partners.

But, Johnson went on, "The West could not continue this US-led mission without American logistics, American air strikes, and American power." .

5000 refugees by the end of the year

The prime minister spoke out against “bilateral recognition” of the Taliban regime and called for it to be measured by deeds and not words. In the coming days, the G7 countries under British leadership would deal with the issue. Johnson also announced national initiatives. London will double development aid for Afghanistan and advocate “safe and legal refugee routes”. Most of the aid should flow to Afghanistan and the region in order to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe - this priority is also "very strongly supported" in Berlin and Paris.

By December, Johnson announced, the kingdom would accept 5,000 refugees and another 15,000 in the coming years. Many MPs said this was insufficient. Starmer also accused Johnson of misjudging the situation. He cited a July statement in which Johnson had denied the Taliban the "ability to achieve military victory." Although the NATO withdrawal had long been established, Johnson had prepared the evacuations far too late.