Afghanistan: Politics was priority during Kabul exit - official

A Foreign Office official with decades of experience has described the government's handling of the Kabul evacuation as "unforgivable".

The civil servant, who requested anonymity, told BBC Two's Newsnight that "trauma and suffering" was caused by the way it was managed.

She claimed ministers were more focused on media coverage and "the political fallout" than saving lives.

The UK government said staff worked tirelessly to evacuate 15,000 people.

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The Foreign Office official said she had struggled to explain what the situation was like "because it was too upsetting, but also because people wouldn't believe it. It's unforgivable - that's how I'd describe it".

She said: "The entire operation was to manage the political fallout of what was happening, rather than to actually manage the crisis and that, for me, was the most upsetting and most difficult aspect of it".

The new testimony comes after ex-official Raphael Marshall told MPs that hundreds of thousands of emails went unread during the evacuation of Britons and Afghan allies in August after the Taliban declared victory in Afghanistan.

The civil servant speaking to Newsnight corroborated Mr Marshall's account of unread emails.

"You had dozens of people reading harrowing horrific bits of information in emails and knowing full well that nothing was going to be done with any of it, other than a report at the end of the day to say the email had been read", she said.

The highly-experienced official described the evacuation as the worst operation she had ever witnessed in her career.

"I can certainly say that huge amounts of trauma and suffering were either caused directly because of the way it was handled and most probably lives also lost," she said.

In response to Mr Marshall's account, the Foreign Office's most-senior civil servant, Sir Philip Barton, told the Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee there had been challenges, but the Civil Service code had not been broken.

But Labour MP Chris Bryant said the evidence heard by the committee suggested the Foreign Office "collaborated in making sure that ministers could say that 'we've ticked every single box'".

Sir Philip also said he regretted not returning early from a 17-day holiday in August, as Kabul fell to the Taliban and the evacuation gathered pace.

'No clarity'

In August, Newsnight reported that Afghan nationals who had worked for the UK were instructed to go to the Abbey Gate entrance of Kabul airport - despite a threat that an attack there was imminent.

Many told the BBC messages had been conflicting and confusing.

The new source supported this, saying: "There was no clarity about what advice we can or can't give.

"Not only was there certainly conflicting information many, many times, but also I'm sure in some cases information which people acted on was probably not in their best interest."

Responding to Newsnight, the government said that 1,000 Foreign Office staff worked tirelessly alongside others to evacuate more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan within a fortnight.

"This was the biggest mission of its kind in generations and the second largest evacuation carried out by any country. They are still working to help others leave," a spokesperson added.

"Regrettably we were not able to evacuate all those we wanted to, but our commitment to them is enduring, and since the end of the operation we have helped more than 3,000 individuals leave Afghanistan."

Afghan exit: A timeline

11 August: Afghan forces begin to surrender to the Taliban as US officials are quoted as saying Afghanistan could fall within 90 days

15 August: An estimated 17,600 people fleeing the Taliban arrive in Kabul, with thousands more arriving all the time, according to the UN

16 August: There are chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, where a number of people die and large crowds on the runway lead all flights to be halted for several hours

18 August: Kabul airport appears to be secured by US and Nato troops but the scramble to leave Afghanistan leads to chaotic scenes outside the airport's perimeter

22 August: Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK's ambassador to Afghanistan, describes the evacuation as "gathering pace" - confirming 6,000 Britons and eligible Afghans flown out since 13 August

23 August: UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says the final UK evacuation flights are "hours not weeks" away

25 August: The UK Foreign Office issues new guidance for Britons and eligible Afghans to move away from Kabul airport "to a safe location and await further advice"

26 August: At least 95 people are killed - including 13 US service personnel - and 150 others wounded after an explosion near the Abbey Gate entrance to the airfield

27 August: The Ministry of Defence confirms animal shelter founder Paul "Pen" Farthing and his animals have made it through Kabul airport's checkpoints - the department said members of the UK Armed Forces assisted

Speaking later that day, Mr Johnson says he feels a "great sense of regret" about those left behind in Afghanistan

28 August: The UK Ministry of Defence says the UK's final evacuation flight purely for civilians has left Kabul

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