This Labour MP’s embarrassing ISIS/Taliban claim tells us politicians are out of their depth


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A Labour MP’s ISIS claim during the Commons Afghanistan debate has led to questions about her knowledge of the region. Stella Creasy, who is on the right of the party, was roundly attacked on social media. She’d played up the risk of the Taliban providing a “safe haven” for the militant group ISIS.

The debate followed the rapid collapse of the Afghan government in the face of a rapid Taliban advance. This collapse followed the withdrawal of the US military occupation which had held the regime together.

In her speech, Creasy said:

President Biden may not have spoken to other world leaders since the fall of Kabul, so I am pleased to hear that the Prime Minister is, because we need to get agreement, via the UN and NATO, that if the Taliban provide a safe haven for al-Qaeda or ISIS, we will not stand for it.

Twitter users were quick to pull her up about her words.

They pointed out that the Taliban and ISIS were, in fact, deadly enemies who have been at war for years. The rift was first reported in 2015 when a pro-ISIS splinter group in Zabul province got into a gun battle with conventional Taliban forces. Both sides took heavy casualties. The groups have been in conflict ever since. A fact which even a basic internet search will bring up.

Attacked?

A Twitter user quickly pointed out Creasy’s mistake:

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Another described her take as “woeful”:

Northern Independence Party founder and Middle East anthropologist Philip Proudfoot added his criticism:

Wrong again

In the same speech, Creasy also used a version of a famous Afghan expression: “you may have the watches, but we have the time”.

She said the saying “reflects the speed with which the Taliban have acted”.

The phrase itself speaks to the slowness and patience of insurgents, and the vast technological differences between guerrilla and occupier – not the idea of a rapid advance as we have seen in Afghanistan in the last week.

One critic said as much:

Amateur hour?

Creasy fired back at her critics by claiming she had not said what was recorded on Hansard and in the video of her speech on Twitter.

 

Creasy claimed she was being trolled. Apparently angered, she suggested that those who were questioning her couldn’t read. But Twitter users had zero time for that argument:

Establishment politicians still don’t understand the region despite being there for the last 20 years. Something which remains true despite the decades-long military occupation which has come crashing down in a few short weeks.

Featured image via Wikimedia Commons

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  • Show Comments

    1. Creasy’s comments about the Taliban hosting ISIS in future may not be that far-fetched. They are at war now, but so were the US and al-Qaeda, at least on paper, until the latter proved useful to the US in its war on Syria, and the rank-and-file members may move between ISIS and the Taliban for a variety of reasons.

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    2. Worship the Brand Name “Labour”, Thatcher’s Neoliberal Neolabour Party TORIES, The PARASITE TORY Party infesting The UK Labour Party and be prepared to hop aboard The Eternal TORY Merry-Go-Round from HELL!
      This TORY or That TORY, just like the Americans!
      Neoliberals are Mouthpieces for their Elites/Establishment Masters, They are NOT Labour, so called “Centrists”, Liberals, The Right of The Left, etc! They are TORIES and work towards best interest FOR Themselves and their Masters the Elites, Establishment, Tri/Bi/Unilateral Commissions, etc!
      A simple Comparison:
      https://ibb.co/Tb1H19n

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    3. Dan Jarvis, Labour MP for Barnsley Central, who served in Afghanistan, blasted President Biden for his “distasteful and dishonouring” blaming of the Afghan armed forces.
      “These past 20 years have been a struggle for peace,” he said. He must mean filling the pockets of arms manufacturers and dealers and the puppet f[government in Kabul that hadn’t paid its military for a year?
      Why didn’t we go after the Saudis who funded, planned and executed 9/11 and have been and still are funding terrorism?
      What about the rights of females in Saudi Arabia?
      What about the rights of females in Pakistan?
      What about the rights of females in India and all the rapes there, including child rapes?
      Why aren’t the USA & UK invading and bombing those countries?

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    4. Her interest is not in the slightest about what she said. She was merely virtue-signalling to the warmongers, arms-manufactorers-donors/lobbyists, the right-wing of the party, and the oligarchy, about where she stands on supporting new wars, ‘liberal interventionism’ (Aka ‘modern Imperialism’), and spending more taxes on warfare instead of welfare.

      All that she achieved, and simply by saying something so profoundly stupid, she also got given free airtime by those pointing out how profoundly stupid it was. Some one has learned from Donald Trump’s playbook.

      Do not think this shallow careerist mouthpiece is STUPID – she is not, and could guess exactly what would result from her words.

      This is manipulative gaslighting at its finest, by a true expert in the craft.

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    5. Rather than berate MPs for their lack of comprehension (saddening & worrying though it is), how about encouraging them to do something useful.

      Please write to your MPs and point out that resistance to the Taliban is not yet over…The Northern Alliance urgently needs Counter-IED equipment, Night Vision Goggles & Secure Communications Equipment.

      I’m trying to get this message out accross the political spectrum…There is still hope for Afghanistan, it resides in the Afghans themselves, under the banner of The Northern Alliance, led by Amrullah Saleh & Ahmed Massoud.

      Please read Ahmed Massoud’s recent proclamation of resistance to Taliban rule and familiarise yourself with the rule of the Northern Alliance…These are brave, equitable and honourable man, the very antithesis of The Taliban.

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      1. The government were given all those things, so where did they go to? The government was also given lots of money to pay its troops but they didn’t get pad. Where did that money go to? \Maybe you should be asking the GOP & Trump who “referred to the Taliban as great “warriors” and suggested they have a right to rule the country.” “and I understand that you are fighting for your homeland.” And “They will be killing terrorists. They will be killing some very bad people. They will keep that fight going,”
        People have been saying as you for over a hundred years so why not let them sort out their own problems rather than dictating to them?

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