Five Eyes blind to the collapse of Afghanistan
Five Eyes intelligence never envisaged the total collapse of Afghanistan’s military, New Zealand’s chief of defence claimed yesterday, while confirming they “absolutely” would have completed two final evacuation flights if it wasn’t for suicide bomb attacks.
Just hours after the Taliban fired celebratory gunfire into Kabul’s night skies when the final US plane flew out of the country after 20 years of war, the New Zealand Government was picking over its handling of the dramatic past few weeks.
Yesterday’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee briefing on the Government’s response to recent events in Afghanistan came as former interpreters and other Afghans who worked with the New Zealand war effort, and were recently granted emergency visas, were left behind when evacuation efforts were cut short.
But Defence Force (NZDF) chief of defence Air Marshall Kevin Short told the committee if it hadn’t been for Friday’s attacks, which killed at least 170 civilians along with 13 US military troops, two more mercy dashes by a RNZAF plane would’ve got more people out.
Leading up to the fall of Kabul on August 15, the Five Eyes intelligence network was giving daily intel reports.
But although it was clear that the Taliban were taking swathes of ground across the country, the US and other partner nations never thought the capital Kabul was in danger.
“What no one predicted was the absolute collapse of the Afghanistan military itself,” Short said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mfat) chief executive Chris Seed said they knew 372 people with New Zealand passports or visas had departed Afghanistan – and 365 people could be remaining. Of those, 51 were citizens and 52 permanent residents.
But the numbers were uncertain, Sheed said, and just because they were on the consular list, that didn’t mean they wanted to leave. Some people had also left the country via other means.
So the numbers could change, Sheed said.
MFAT is working with a range of international partners, including regional countries, on “phase two” plans on how to get New Zealand citizens and visa holders out of the country.
Seed said they “continue to message” through other partners with the Taliban, but MFAT has made no direct contact with them.