Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 49
We welcome the award of medals to Armed Forces personnel who served on Operation PITTING,...
Conclusion
We welcome the award of medals to Armed Forces personnel who served on Operation PITTING, and recognise the success of the military operation element of the evacuation from Afghanistan—though this must not mask the wider context that the operation was only necessary because of the Taliban’s advances following the end of the NATO mission.
Government Response Summary
The government welcomes the recognition of the military's success in the evacuation and the medallic recognition for personnel involved, while noting that the Taliban advance was expected but the timing was hard to gauge.
Paragraph Reference:
49
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The report notes that “the military elements of the evacuation from Afghanistan were a success.”1 We welcome this recognition, along with the positive reflections on the medallic recognition for those Armed Forces personnel involved. The relocations programme was a whole force effort in the UK and in-country. MOD Civilian staff in Kabul were in-country for a significant period and were amongst the last to leave Kabul and also received medallic recognition. There was also close engagement with Other Government Departments (OGDs). Although the Taliban advance was expected after the Doha agreement, the timing of any such advance would have been extremely hard to gauge. The challenge for defence was that a withdrawal conducted too early could have precipitated a collapse. Op CATTALO (the planned withdrawal) was in full flow when the crisis accelerated.