'Afghanistan collapse was expected', says former British Colonel from Colchester

Retired Colonel Richard Kemp believes the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan was the wrong one

Author: Kaushal MenonPublished 18th Aug 2021

A former British Colonel from Colchester has said the sequence of events unfolding in Afghanistan is wholly predictable, just days after Taliban government officials entered the country and assumed control.

Colonel Richard Kemp MBE served in the British Army for 29 years and was part of the first British troops to land in Afghanistan in 2003.

He said:

"It is a very dark situation they (Afghans) are facing and I contrast that with the optimism when we arrived in the early days of the operation, about the benefits that would accrue to them now that they have been freed from the shackles imposed by the Taliban."

The Taliban is in the peak of its fighting season, according to Col. Kemp, and the speed of the troop withdrawal coupled with the increased strength the Taliban possess at this time, has caused Kabul to fall, mere weeks after American and British forces began leaving.

Irrespective of the timing Col. Kemp believes that the decision to withdraw troops, which has been roundly criticised, was wrong.

He said:

"The reality is we were there for one reason which was to protect the West from terrorist attacks from Afghanistan along the lines of 9/11.

"We should have stayed to continue that because the threat has not gone away. If anything, it has been restored."

While foreign soldiers and officials have managed to escape the country, there are fears for the lives of Afghan interpreters and other members of staff who facilitated this foreign intervention in the country.

Col. Kemp believes that the UK Government must step up its efforts to help them:

"Above all, we could not have achieved what we did without them (local staff). We must do everything to bring them back."

A resettlement scheme has been announced, with the UK expected to welcome 20,000 Afghan refugees in the coming years.

The Prime Minister has announced a quarter of them will arrive within the first 12 months.

The British Ambassador to Afghanistan has reportedly stayed back in the country to personally process the evacuation requests from Afghan staff.

"He is a brave man in a difficult, dangerous situation", said Col. Kemp of Sir Laurie Bristow, both of whom studied in Colchester Royal Grammar School.

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