The West needs to accept it lost the war in Afghanistan and start working with the Taliban to prevent mass starvation, a former head of the British military has said.
Gen Lord David Richards urged governments to be “magnanimous in defeat” and show compassion for the welfare of 40 million people living under the extremist regime.
Former British foreign secretary David Miliband also warned that innocent civilians were being punished by the denial of aid.
Gen Richards, who commanded Nato troops in Afghanistan in 2006, said there were people within the Taliban regime that Britain and other countries could deal with.
“I think the West is going to end up recognising the Taliban government,” he told the BBC's Panorama programme. “If that's the case, then we'd better get on with it quicker, sooner rather than later. There's a great phrase to be magnanimous in victory. I think this is an occasion for us to be magnanimous in defeat.”
In early August last year, the former Chief of the Defence Staff told The National that if Britain and America did nothing to stop the insurgents' advance “a return to Taliban rule” was inevitable.
But in his latest interview he urged governments to accept the reality of a Taliban victory. “The fact is, they defeated us,” he said. “And we have to come to terms with that inconvenient fact. They are now the government of Afghanistan. They are responsible for about 40 million people.”
Out of that population it is estimated that eight million are at risk of starvation, including one million children.
With 40 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product reliant on foreign aid, the restriction of cash has led to the economy collapsing since the Taliban took control six months ago.
With some Taliban members still classified by the US as terrorists the international community has frozen billions in assets.
But Western powers now face a “catastrophe of choice in Afghanistan” with the freeze on payments condemning ordinary working people, said Mr Miliband, now president of the International Rescue Committee.
“It's been a freeze on the payments to Afghan civil servants, teachers, nurses and engineers and there are ongoing sanctions that are putting a chill on the private sector's activity,” he told BBC Radio 4. “There's a freeze on the $9 billion worth of international assets of the Afghan Central Bank.”
He said the country was on a “downwards economic escalator that threatens to overwhelm the humanitarian effort” which the UN has stated requires $4 billion of immediate funding.
Without the money there will be a greater crisis next year, he added, which will cost an estimated $10bn to remedy “unless we can get the economy going”.
“It's essential to get that economy going to give Afghan people the chance to feed themselves,” he said.
Sir Mark Lowcock, a former UN humanitarian affairs secretary, called for a policy change, saying sanctions were harming Afghans. “The world does have to work out what its way of engaging with the Taliban is going to be, but whatever the solution to that question is, it can't be the collective punishment into starvation of a population of 40 million,” he said.
The Foreign Office said Britain is committed to the Afghan people and is providing £286 million in aid this year.
“If the Taliban wants international acceptance, then they need to abide by international norms, to ensure safe passage for those who wish to leave the country, respect the rights of women and girls and prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a place where terrorism flourishes,” a spokesman said.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20Killer
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WISH
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In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
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French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
THE%20SWIMMERS
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Cheeseburger%20ingredients
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The%20specs
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THREE
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
LEADERBOARD
%3Cp%3E-19%20T%20Fleetwood%20(Eng)%3B%20-18%20R%20McIlroy%20(NI)%2C%20T%20Lawrence%20(SA)%3B%20-16%20J%20Smith%3B%20-15%20F%20Molinari%20(Ita)%3B%20-14%20Z%20Lombard%20(SA)%2C%20S%20Crocker%20(US)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESelected%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E-11%20A%20Meronk%20(Pol)%3B%20-10%20E%20Ferguson%20(Sco)%3B%20-8%20R%20Fox%20(NZ)%20-7%20L%20Donald%20(Eng)%3B%20-5%20T%20McKibbin%20(NI)%2C%20N%20Hoejgaard%20(Den)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
'Midnights'
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Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
