Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

‘President had set his mind on it’: UK Foreign Affairs Committee chairman says US made ‘mistake’ with Afghanistan withdrawal

‘President had set his mind on it’: UK Foreign Affairs Committee chairman says US made ‘mistake’ with Afghanistan withdrawal

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the UK's Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it a “mistake” and blaming President Joe Biden's increased focus on other regions.
After being asked by Sky News on Sunday why the US “made these catastrophic decisions” in withdrawing from Afghanistan, Tugendhat insinuated that President Joe Biden wanted to focus the country solely on China instead.

“I think the new US administration probably arrived in the White House and realized that the various challenges they had were more severe than they imagined,” he said, noting such challenges as the “technological gap that's shrinking between them and China” and “the different ways in which other powers – China and Russia, but mostly China – are challenging US interests and US allied interests.”

Realizing how “severe” the challenges they faced were, Biden and the US government “decided to focus on it,” which culminated in a speedy withdrawal from Afghanistan, Tugendhat added.

Though Tugendhat insisted that he “can understand the desire to focus on your prime objective,” since “maintenance of the aim is one of the principles of war,” he argued that in this case “the US government made a mistake.”

Tugendhat – who served in the war in Afghanistan as a member of the Territorial Army – blamed President Biden for the withdrawal, concluding, “I think it was very much down to the president” and it was “quite clear that the president had set his mind on doing it and that was that.”

Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, then-Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab claimed it was a wake up call that the UK's military cannot act on its own and needs to look at its “own capabilities.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was no interest among the UK's allies for “a continued military presence or for a military solution imposed by NATO in Afghanistan,” and that he does not think “deploying tens of thousands of British troops to fight the Taliban is an option.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
×