UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan was 'disaster' says inquiry - BBC News

The UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan last year was a "disaster" and a "betrayal" that will damage the nation's interests for years, an inquiry by MPs has found.

The Foreign Affairs Committee said there had been "systemic failures" of intelligence, diplomacy, and planning.

Chairman and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat said there had been a failure to lead "at a time when lives were quite literally being lost".

The UK government said "intensive planning" went into the withdrawal.

A spokesperson for the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) defended its handling of the withdrawal and said it would review and respond to the committee's findings.