Britain's Defence Secretary has revealed his attempts to assemble a military coalition with Nato forces to keep troops in Afghanistan after the US announced its withdrawal.
Ben Wallace said he tried to convince "like-minded" countries to keep forces in Afghanistan alongside UK troops, but once his offer was rejected he decided the UK could not act alone.
"I did try talking to Nato nations but they were not interested, nearly all of them," Mr Wallace told the Daily Mail.
"We tried a number of like-minded nations. Some said they were keen but their parliaments weren't. It became apparent pretty quickly that without the United States as the framework nation it had been, these options were closed off.
"All of us were saddened, from the Prime Minister down, about all the blood and treasure that had been spent, that this was how it was ending."
US President Joe Biden has scheduled his country's military mission in Afghanistan to end on August 31.
He said the Afghan people must decide their own future and he will not consign another generation of American troops to the war that has already lasted 20 years.
Mr Wallace said last year's accord between former US president Donald Trump and the Taliban was a "rotten deal" and he expects Britain to return to Afghanistan, perhaps within a decade.
"It saddens me that the deal picked apart a lot of what had been achieved in Afghanistan over 20 years," he said.
I did try talking to Nato nations, but they were not interested, nearly all of them
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace
"We’ll probably be back in 10 or 20 years. But acting now is not possible. The damage was done with the deal."
Britain's top genera, Sir Nick Carter, has called into question the legitimacy of the Taliban's actions.
"There is a big question about legitimacy and whether the west still wants to support Afghanistan if the Taliban have seized the country in a fashion that is quite obviously illegitimate," he told the BBC.
"Do the Taliban really want to become a pariah state again?"
On Monday, Taliban militants captured a sixth provincial capital, along with border towns and trade routes, and now control more than half the country.
US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is travelling to Qatar to "press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement", the State Department said on Monday.
Over three days, representatives from governments and multilateral organisations will press for "a reduction of violence and ceasefire and a commitment not to recognise a government imposed by force", it said.
The Taliban have stepped up their campaign to defeat government troops as foreign forces withdraw.
On Monday, they took Aybak, the capital of the northern province of Samangan.
It followed the capture at the weekend of Zaranj in the southern province of Nimruz, Sar-e-Pul in the northern province of the same name, and Taloqan, in north-eastern Takhar province.
The group has also taken the northern provincial capital of Kunduz and Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US was deeply concerned about the trend but that Afghan security forces had the capability to fight against the insurgents.
"These are their military forces, these are their provincial capitals, their people to defend and it's really going to come down to the leadership that they're willing to exude here at this particular moment," he said.
He said there was "not much" the US military could do if Afghan security forces were not putting up a fight.
German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has rejected calls for its soldiers to return to Afghanistan after the Taliban took Kunduz, where German troops were stationed for a decade.
Afghan commandos have launched a counterattack to try to beat back Taliban fighters who overran Kunduz.
In the West, near the border with Iran, security officials said heavy fighting was under way on the outskirts of Herat.
Arif Jalali, head of Herat Zonal Hospital, said 36 people were killed and 220 wounded in the past 11 days. More than half of those wounded were civilians.
The UN children's fund said 20 children were killed and 130 wounded in southern Kandahar province in the past 72 hours.
"The atrocities grow higher by the day," said Herve Ludovic De Lys, Unicef's representative in Afghanistan.
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes
West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
March 29, final
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Stage 2
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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The specs
Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm
Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto
Price: From Dh139,995
On sale: now
'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
Imperial%20Island%3A%20A%20History%20of%20Empire%20in%20Modern%20Britain
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Charlotte%20Lydia%20Riley%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Bodley%20Head%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20384%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47
2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time
3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo
5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates
7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03
9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep
10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep
