Defence Committee holds next session in Afghanistan inquiry
12 November 2021
The Defence Committee continues its inquiry into Afghanistan, with representatives from RUSI, IISS, the Sulha Alliance and the Afghan Solidarity Coalition.
- Watch Parliament TV: Withdrawal from Afghanistan
- Inquiry: Withdrawal from Afghanistan
- Defence Committee
Witnesses
Tuesday 16 November
At 2.30pm
- Dr Jack Watling, Research Fellow for Land Warfare, RUSI
- Brigadier (ret.) Ben Barry, Senior Fellow for Land Warfare, IISS
At 3.30pm
- Dr Sara de Jong, Representative, The Sulha Alliance
- Peter Gordon-Finlayson, Representative, The Sulha Alliance
- Professor Brad Blitz, Representative, Afghan Solidarity Coalition
- Dr Neelam Raina, Representative, Afghan Solidarity Coalition
The session will likely analyse the UK’s military decisions following the Doha Agreement, reasons behind the fall of the Afghan Government, and the military role in evacuation.
The session will likely also take a forward look at the future of Afghanistan and the potential for global terrorism to again originate from the country. The session may also cover the situation for those left behind and the growing humanitarian crisis.
Purpose of the session
Representatives from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Sulha Alliance and the Afghanistan Solidarity Coalition will be appearing.
RUSI is the world’s oldest and UK’s leading defence and security think tank. IISS is an international research institute providing information on military, geopolitical and geo-economic developments.
The Sulha Alliance was founded in 2016 by to campaign for and support former Afghan interpreters, and other Locally Employed Civilians (LECs), who had worked for the British Armed Forces, and their families.
The Alliance has supported hundreds of former interpreters and other LECs with their applications under the ARAP scheme.
The Afghan Solidarity Coalition is a grouping of organisations that have been working on research and peace-building activities with local partners in Afghanistan. This group has helped evacuate at risk colleagues.
Further information
Image: Crown Copyright/MOD News Licence