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UK troops withdrawal from Afghanistan is Britain's biggest foreign policy disaster

According to the BBC, the chairman of the UK Foreign Affairs Committee has said the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is Britain's biggest foreign policy disaster since the Suez crisis of 1956. UK troops
The British broadcast corporation reported that Tory MP Tom Tugendhat criticised the foreign secretary for not making any statement as the Taliban advanced across the country in the last week.
Mr Tugendhat said the UK has "abandoned the Afghan people".
It should be noted that Taliban took almost every major city and reached the edges of the capital Kabul.
The BBC said, the Mp's statement comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson called a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee on Sunday afternoon, and the Speaker's Office said Parliament will be recalled on Wednesday for one day to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he had shared his "deep concerns about the future for Afghanistan" with Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
He said they agreed "it is critical that the international community is united in telling the Taliban that the violence must end and human rights must be protected".
Read more: UK Defence Secretary: Afghanistan is ‘heading towards civil war’
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "The government has been silent as Afghanistan collapses, which will have ramifications in the UK."

He said it was a "very sad day" and "our thoughts are with the Afghan people". The government's priority "must be to evacuate British personnel and support staff", he added.
Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who found refuge in the UK after being shot in the head by Taliban militants in 2012, said global and regional powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide humanitarian aid and protect refugees.
Read more: Germany will stop aid to Afghanistan if Taliban takes power
"We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates," she said.
Mr Tugendhat compared the Afghanistan withdrawal to the UK's failed invasion of Egypt in 1956, intended to regain control of the Suez canal, which is seen by many historians as marking the end of Britain's role as a major world power.
"We haven't heard from the foreign secretary in about a week, despite this being the biggest single foreign policy disaster since Suez, so I don't know what the Foreign Office is thinking," he told the BBC.
He said the pull-out in Afghanistan showed a lack of "strategic patience", stripped the Afghan army of their logistics and air support and "convinced them there was no tomorrow".
That emboldened Taliban militants, allowing them to sweep through many major cities, he suggested.
It should be noted that the Foreign Office has advised more than 4,000 British citizens thought to be in Afghanistan to leave and on Thursday said it would send 600 troops to help with the departure of Britons, Afghan staff and interpreters.
Source: BBC
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- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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