Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis criticises President Biden's comments about Afghan armed forces

Dan Jarvis, the Labour MP for Barnsley Central, who served in the British armed forces in Afghanistan, has criticised President Biden for his description of the Afghan armed forces.

Speaking in the House of Commons today he said: "These past 20 years have been a struggle for peace. We tried to break the cycle of war, to give hope to women and girls, we tried to give the Afghans a different life, one of hope and one of opportunity.

"But the catastrophic failure of international political leadership, and the brutality of the Taliban has snatched all of that away from them."

Mr Jarvis spoke of the service and sacrifice of the "brave" British servicemen and women "who throughout showed outstanding professionalism and courage".

But he said "recent developments have hit them hard. They are grappling with the question about whether all of the effort, the sacrifice was really worth it".

Earlier this week President Biden defended his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan saying that the Afghan military "collapsed without a fight".

Speaking about the Afghan armed forces, Mr Jarvis said: "Many of us who served in Afghanistan have a deep bond of affection for the Afghan people, and I had the honour of serving alongside them in Helmand. We trained together, fought together, and in some cases we died together.

"They were our brothers in arms. But I shudder to think where those men are now, many will be dead, others I know now consider themselves to be dead men walking.

"Where were we in their hour of need? We were nowhere, and that is shameful, and it will have a very long-lasting impact on Britain's reputation right around the world."

Mr Jarvis added: "It was particularly distasteful and dishonouring of President Biden to make reference to the lack of courage and commitment by those Afghan soldiers who have served with such bravery and distinction."