Tory MP forced to apologise for 'Taliban propaganda' video

Tobias Ellwood has apologised after praising progress in Afghanistan.

In a video posted on Twitter, the chair of the defence select committee spoke about his visit to the country with mine clearance charity the Halo Trust.

He said security in the country was “vastly improved”, corruption was reduced and the opium trade had ended over the past two years despite the Taliban taking over in 2021 and mistreating women and girls.

He said: “This is a very different country indeed - it feels different now since the Taliban have returned to power.”

He said after decades of war, ordinary Afghans were “for the moment, accepting a more authoritarian leadership in exchange for stability”.

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He added it was now time for the UK to re-open its embassy in Kabul in order to “re-engage” with the Taliban in areas such as education for girls, which has been banned.

But following an unsurprising backlash given the Taliban's rep, he posted an apology on Twitter:

What a supremely odd take.

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