Tory MP Tobias Ellwood deletes video ‘lauding’ Taliban in Afghanistan
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onservative Tobias Ellwood has expressed remorse and deleted a video through which he praised the Taliban for tackling opium and corruption after he confronted criticism from fellow MPs.
The Commons Defence Committee chairman was condemned by a fellow Conservative member of the cross-party group for the “utterly bizarre” clip “lauding” the Taliban’s governance of Afghanistan.
Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised Mr Elwood’s “positive” report from Helmand province, which the MP has now faraway from Twitter.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated on Wednesday he’ll “look into” the video filmed throughout a go to to the nation recaptured by the fundamentalists because the West eliminated its troops.
Mr Ellwood, a former defence minister who served within the Army, conceded that the “video could be done better”.
The MP for Bournemouth East advised TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored: “It’s important to put your hand up and acknowledge errors, however well intentioned.
“I stand up, I speak my mind. I try and find solutions especially on the international stage, and I’m very, very sorry that my reflection of my visit could have been much better worded and have been taken out of context.”
Mr Ellwood added: “I’ll be very clear the last couple of days have probably been the most miserable as a Member of Parliament. I got it wrong.”
Mark Francois advised the Commons his colleague needs to be “very careful” in expressing his views if he needed to stay as chair of the committee.
He described the video as “utterly bizarre”, arguing it was “lauding the Taliban’s management of the country”.
Committee members have been describing it as a “wish-you-were-here video”, Mr Francois stated.
He added: “I wish to make plain on behalf of the committee he was speaking for himself, even though he used the title of chairman of our committee in a number of associated articles. Not in our name.”
Mr Ellwood has been urging the Government to reopen the British embassy in Kabul in order that progressive enhancements for women’ training could be inspired “incrementally”.
In his video, he claimed that safety in Afghanistan had “vastly improved” because the Taliban had returned to energy, “corruption is down” and the opium commerce has “all but disappeared”.
He steered western nations ought to “incrementally” encourage the uptake of ladies’s rights by partaking with the brand new regime.
“After Nato’s dramatic departure, should the West now engage with the Taliban? You quickly appreciate this war-weary nation is for the moment accepting a more authoritarian leadership in exchange for stability,” he stated.