Furious former generals urge PM to continue Afghanistan mission without US to ‘get every last Brit out’
FURIOUS former generals tonight urged the PM to continue the Afghanistan evacuation mission without the US “to get every last Brit out”.
Boris Johnson will use a G7 meeting on Tuesday to ask President Joe Biden to keep American troops at Kabul airport beyond his August 31 deadline.
But ex-military top brass say even if US forces pull out, the UK should go it alone.
They say our claim to be “global Britain” will be left in tatters if we cannot continue the airlift ourselves.
Retired Major General Tim Cross, who served in Iraq and Kosovo, said:
“What’s the point of having armed forces if we cannot hold a single airfield? It makes the whole global Britain idea a joke.”
However, the Ministry of Defence ruled out remaining without the US — while other ex-military chiefs warn it would be too dangerous.
The Army is scrambling to get thousands of Brits, and Afghans who worked with the UK over the past 20 years, out of the Taliban-controlled country.
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Colonel Richard Kemp, a retired officer who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said: “We are one of the most powerful military nations in the world. We should stay until we have got every last Brit, and everyone we need, out.”
He warned Britain will be left looking “politically weak and militarily weak” by just following the Americans to the exit door.
But a Ministry of Defence spokesman said of the US military presence: “Without this partnership, it would be impractical to secure the airport and continue the evacuation mission.”
Former Army head Lord Richard Dannatt added: “I can understand why people would want to continue, but I think once the Americans decide to go it would make more sense for us to go as well.”
Security expert Charlie Herbert said of the pleas for Britain to stay: “It is a wonderful buccaneering attitude but rather naive.”
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey admitted this morning Taliban thugs will "get a vote" on when Britain must make its last evacuation flight out of Kabul.
He said even the planet's most powerful countries can't realistically stay in Afghanistan without the militants' say-so.
He told LBC: "Tomorrow [the extension] will be discussed by the G7, but even though they are the seven most powerful people on the planet they don't get to take that decision in isolation.
"The Taliban get a vote as well.
"And that's why we're continuing to work towards the 31. Because even if the political will in London, Washington, Paris, Berlin, is to extend, the Taliban may say no.
"And whilst of course we have the military force that would be required to stay by force if we wanted to.
"I think you can probably imagine that the sort of humanitarian mission we're involved in, is not helped by the international community in fighting the Taliban on the streets.
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"But again, and therefore I'm not sure that it's something we should really be considering."
