Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was 'imbecilic' says former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair

AP

• Tony Blair was the Prime Minister who ordered the UK invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
• He has described Biden's withdrawal from the country as "imbecilic."
• "We did it with every jihadist group around the world cheering," he said.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Tony Blair, who was Prime Minister when the USA and UK invaded Afghanistan in 2001, called Joe Biden's decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan "imbecilic."

Writing an article on his charity website - the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change - Blair said: "We didn't need to [withdraw]. We chose to do it. We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending 'the forever wars.'"

"We did it with every jihadist group around the world cheering." He added.

Blair describes the "abandonment" of Afghans as "tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours."

Blair, the UK prime minister from 1997 to 2007, also wrote of the urgent need to attend to "those to whom we have a responsibility" - which included the Afghan people and our country's own citizens.

His comments come as seven people are killed within the mass crowds trapped in the Kabul airport by the Taliban.

Fears that Afghanistan will become an oppressive state as reports emerge of journalists are being threatened by the Taliban, whilst concern for women's rights - their right to work, study, leave the house - heighten.

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