Shadow Middle East minister ‘not happy’ about Afghanistan drone strikes

Labour’s Wayne David has warned that “terrorism is a very real threat” in the wake of the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan – but said he is not “happy” about the use of drone strikes as part of a counter-terrorism strategy.

In a Times Radio interview this morning, the shadow minister said the government needs “facilities in place and cooperation mechanisms to make sure that we tackle effectively what may happen in the not too distant future”.

Asked about the use of drone strikes in response to the threat, Labour’s Middle East and North Africa spokesperson replied: “It’s not something I’m happy about. But I think it’s very, very important that we do recognise that we have to deal with this problem.

“And, of course, taking strikes of this kind, providing it’s proportionate, it’s in our national interest, and it can be aware of international law, it is perfectly legitimate for the West to take action against terrorists who are harming our people or potentially harming them.

“I also think it’s important that we recognise the situation and do have a dialogue with the Taliban. Certainly, IS-K are a sworn enemy of the Taliban and it may be opportune to have discussions with them about certain limited cooperation.

“Because IS-K are a threat to all people, not just in the West, but people in Afghanistan as well. And if the Taliban, despite the problems in having a meaningful dialogue with them, recognise this, there is possibility of meaningful cooperation.”

The US launched a drone strike on Saturday, two days after Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport. President Joe Biden has committed to carrying out further drone strikes.

The strike, targeting a vehicle in a residential neighbourhood, killed ten members of the same family including seven children. The youngest victims were two two-year-old girls, according to family members.

US forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, after processing evacuation flights from Kabul, in accordance with the Doha agreement signed by the then President Donald Trump in February last year.

British forces returned home over the weekend and the Taliban has now taken power in the country, almost 20 years after the invasion of the country was launched with the objective of ousting the group following the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Foreign military personnel had been evacuating people through Kabul airport, the only airport still functioning in the country. Around 15,000 people had been evacuated by the UK since August 14th, but it is thought that between 800 and 1,100 eligible Afghans and between 100 and 150 Brits have been left behind.

Labour shadow minister Stephen Kinnock accused the government of being “asleep at the wheel” when it came to getting people out of Afghanistan and said that the UK would now need to cooperate with the Taliban.

“The defence select committee, a cross-party group, published a report that was very sharply critical of the government’s failure to support interpreters. So actually, the government has had a minimum of three years to be dealing with this,” he said.

“There’s been complacency, negligence, you cannot run foreign policy from your sun-lounger. And I really hope that the British government will now start to level with the British people, be honest about the number of people who’ve been left behind, so that we can then start to have a constructive conversation about the way forward.”

The shadow minister for Asia and the Pacific added that the Taliban should not receive diplomatic recognition but the UK should “use all of the leverage that we have” to “ensure that the Taliban actually deliver on the assurances given around safe passage for those who have the right paperwork to leave the country”.

The Foreign Office has said that the UK and several other countries have been given assurances by the Taliban that foreign nationals and Afghan citizens with proper documentation will be allowed to leave the country.