Wallace’s comments a . were done during Interview for the Spectator magazine, in which senior officials of the British government Commented on how London and Washington handled the withdrawal of their forces from Afghanistan.
Asked whether Britain’s withdrawal from Afghanistan showed the limits of the country’s global power, the defense secretary said “it is clear that the UK is not a superpower”.
“But a superpower that is unwilling to achieve anything is also not a superpower. It is certainly not a global power, it is just a great power,” he pointedly referring to the limits of American power. said.
According to News With regard to the defense secretary’s remarks to The Guardian newspaper, people close to Wallace familiar with the situation agreed that his comments could be interpreted as aimed at the US. The minister would have stressed the importance of political will over military might.
“It was a shock when [a cidade de] Herat is taken. Some of these important places have historically been resistant to the Taliban. [organização terrorista proibida na Rússia e em outros países]. When they were taken away, literally without a fight, I think the game was lost. I remember saying in July that despite what we thought, the game was over and we had to do what we could to speed up what we were doing.
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Reuters / Sharon Floyd / Royal Air Force / UK Ministry of Defense
British Military Board Royal Air Force aircraft on return from Afghanistan
However, the Defense Secretary said he believed “things could have been worse” and fortunately, the Taliban was “satisfied”. Withdrawal of troops from NATO countries and did not interfere with their return.
“They could attack [o aeroporto] with mortar. It only takes a mortar or two and the planes stop flying – so they could have done a lot like this. [Mas] They did not,” said the senior British official.
On the night of August 30 to August 31, US forces completed their withdrawal from Kabul Airport, ending nearly 20 years of US military presence in Afghanistan.
According to US President Joe Biden, Shutting down US military mission in Afghanistan This was the best way to protect the lives of soldiers and ensure that civilians could leave the country in the coming weeks or months.
