‘No one saw this coming’ says Secretary of State who was on holiday during Taliban takeover

Secretary of State enjoyed the sea and sun while Afghans clung to planes fearing for their lives

Dominic Raab has said that no one saw the Taliban takeover coming. But perhaps he didn't see it coming because his phone was in airplane mode as he was enjoying a summer holiday. https://twitter.com/BeardedGenius/status/1427540621972185089 While the Secretary of State was taking it easy on a beach, the Taliban stormed Kabul and later appointed themselves as the leaders of the nation leading to frantic scenes as Afghans desperately tried to flee. While Raab gave a series of interviews Tuesday, saying no one could have predicted the Taliban would move so quickly, just last month the Ministry of Defence confirmed the insurgents were very much still present in Afghanistan. It is unclear where Raab was holidaying, with reports suggesting he was either in Cyprus or Crete. https://twitter.com/JimMFelton/status/1427581918082654214 Despite Raab insisting that "We’ve monitored this very carefully," it would seem the only person who didn't see the takeover coming is the man whose job it is to see situations like this. "The truth is across the world people were caught by surprise,” he told Sky News. “I haven’t spoken to an international interlocutor, including countries in the region, over the last week, who hasn’t been surprised. https://twitter.com/JoshBerryComedy/status/1427582067357913089 “We saw a very swift change in the dynamics and of course this has been part and parcel of the withdrawal of Western troops, but it’s also been the way and approach of the Taliban, and of course it’s been a test for the Afghan security forces. "But no one saw this coming — of course, we would have taken action if we had," Raab insists. But if everyone with Twitter knew this eventuality was going to happen, why didn't the UK government? https://twitter.com/MrMichaelSpicer/status/1427543704022233113 The Taliban were undeniably swift in their takeover, but let's be clear, the entire country did not fall in an instant. https://twitter.com/IamHappyToast/status/1427558640899198978

Related links:

• At least five dead amid Kabul airport chaos as Taliban takes capital
• Taliban enter outskirts of Kabul in move to retake whole of Afghanistan
• Last remaining British troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan