SLOUGH’S MP has called for the UK government to prioritise preventing a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after militants took its capital.
Hundreds of civilians have flooded the international airports in an attempt to leave the country after the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday as the government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani reportedly fled abroad.
Parliament will be recalled for one day to discuss the situation in the country on Wednesday.
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After 20 years of war and tens of thousands of deaths, the UK and other foreign forces are pulling out of Afghanistan following a deal between the US and the Taliban.
Slough MP Tan Dhesi said the “sudden” and “unplanned” withdrawal from Afghanistan has brought “humiliation” to the UK and has called for the government to prioritise averting a humanitarian crisis.
He said: “The sudden, unplanned withdrawal from Afghanistan by this UK Tory Government and others, after the devastating loss of lives, the huge amounts of time and money spent, is nothing but an abject surrender, which has brought humiliation to our nation.
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“It has left a sense of abandonment and betrayal for those Afghans who were counting on us to help build a better society, and will doubtless lead to an erosion of hard won rights for women, education, and the freedom of faith.
“Priority now for us must be via aid to avert a humanitarian crisis and to ensure refuge – for those who bravely assisted the rebuilding process and for Sikhs, Hindus, and other religious minorities, who have already been victims of deadly targeted attacks.”
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