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Terror group al Qaeda “will probably come back” in Afghanistan as the security situation continues to deteriorate, the defence secretary has told Sky News.

Speaking to Kay Burley, Ben Wallace was highly critical of the US decision to withdraw troops from the country.

It is almost 20 years since the invasion of Afghanistan was launched in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to oust the Taliban and prevent it from harbouring al Qaeda, the group behind the 2001 terror attack on the US.

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How has the Taliban advanced so quickly?

Since the initial invasion, the US and its allies have spent almost two decades and $830bn (£600bn) trying to establish a functioning state.

But with the 20th anniversary of 9/11 looming, the Taliban has seized more than a dozen cities in Afghanistan as the withdrawal of international troops continues, including Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat.

US intelligence has warned that Kabul, the capital, could fall within 90 days.

When asked about the situation in Afghanistan, Mr Wallace said: “I’m absolutely worried that failed states are breeding grounds for those types of people.

More on Afghanistan

“Of course I am worried, it is why I said I felt this was not the right time or decision to make because, of course, al Qaeda will probably come back, certainly would like that type of breeding ground.

“That is what we see, failed states around the world lead to instability, lead to a security threat to us and our interests.”

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Tory MP: UK Afghan withdrawal ‘humiliating’

The defence secretary said it was his view that the deal signed by the US and the Taliban in Qatar in 2020 to withdraw from Afghanistan was a “mistake” and described it as a “rotten deal”.

He said: “I was public about it that at the time of the Trump deal – with obviously the Taliban – I felt that that was a mistake to have done it that way, that we will all as an international community pay the consequences of that, but when the United States as the framework nation took that decision, the way we were all configured, the way we had gone in meant that we had to leave as well.”

Mr Wallace said the decision to send 600 troops to Afghanistan was made “some months ago” and was not a last-minute move.

In April the Taliban had limited control in Afghanistan
The Taliban's advance has meant the group has taken control of Ghazni, in the east

Asked by Kay Burley if it was a “rescue mission”, the defence secretary replied: “We are withdrawing, we made that some months ago clear, and the timetable we are working to is obviously the American announced timetable of September 11.

“There was always going to be a phase where you put in logisticians, air movers, command and control personnel and a force to protect that force, and the appropriate moment is to do that now.”

He added: “Their job is to make sure we can continue to process the Afghan interpreters and the wider community we have an obligation to, help draw down some of those people from the embassy that are going to come out, we reduce that footprint, and then lastly a group of what we call entitled personnel.

“Those are people who are British passport holders, there is a theoretical number, those are people such as security guards who might be working for aid agencies or, indeed, just British passport holders that we have an obligation to bring out.”

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Most RWAs remain isolated and underutilized instead of composable, DeFi-ready building blocks. It’s time to change that.

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Collapsed crypto firm Ziglu faces $2.7M deficit amid special administration

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Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget

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Heidi Alexander says 'fairness' will be government's 'guiding principle' when it comes to taxes at next budget

Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.

Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.

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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.

Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.

“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”

Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.

“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”

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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”

He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.

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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France

Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.

Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.

Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.

With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.

The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.

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