The Taliban takeover is not just bad news for human rights – their anti-vax beliefs also threaten world health

Historically the Taliban have been against vaccinations, and have done their best, with plenty of success, over the last 20 years to intimidate the people of Afghanistan towards prohibition.

Now that they physically control the country, I assume – although I have not read any confirmation – that their policy will be “no vaccines”.

It does not need me to mention the disastrous consequences of such action, not just Covid-19, but also a resurgence in polio and diphtheria to name but two infectious deadly childhood diseases.

So in one fell swoop the risks to the world’s health – diseases do not recognise borders – have increased considerably as they join the ranks of a small band of other extremists in the developing world and the inexplicable growth of anti-vaxxers in rich developed countries.

Robert Boston

Kingshill, Kent

Tom Peck’s comparison (on Wednesday) of the untruths peddled by the Taliban and by our government are very apt.

We can only hope that the creeping authoritarianism demonstrated by Boris Johnson and his close associates does not presage further similarities.

Susan Alexander

Frampton Cotterell, South Gloucestershire

The situation in Afghanistan is awful to watch but inevitable given the power vacuum left by the withdrawal of western military powers, with a lot of regret expressed on both sides of the Atlantic. There’s one question nobody seems to be asking. Who is funding and arming the Taliban? Is it too uncomfortable to think it could be our supposed allies in Arabia? Sanctions have been mentioned but cutting off their money and weapon supplies might be a better way of bringing positive results.

Andy Vant

Bridgnorth, Shropshire

While assuring Americans "the buck stops with me", President Biden clearly blames everyone but himself for the foreign policy catastrophe unfolding in Afghanistan. In a rambling, petulant speech he accused President Obama of starting the debacle by surging US forces to fend off the Taliban; President Trump for negotiating a deal with the Taliban committing US forces to leave this year; and Afghan troops for being unwilling to defend their own country.

Biden’s impulsive, impractical decision to withdraw US air support and intelligence information regarding the disposition and strength of the Taliban severely affected Afghan troops and depressed their morale.

The bipartisan Afghan Study Group urged Biden not to adopt an inflexible timetable but to tie the scope and pace of withdrawal to the honouring by the Taliban of their commitments. His rushed, ill-planned exit strategy, poor military preparation, closure of the Bagram airfield, and colossal intelligence failure about the relative strength and weakness of the Taliban and Afghan forces were the primary causes of the shameful, Saigon-like abandonment of Kabul.

Rev Dr John Cameron

St Andrews

Well, back from school holidays early and Boris Johnson looked like a sulky, sullen Billy Bunter, slouched on his seat, head down and muttering. Dominic Raab behaved like a football thug and Keir Stammer rose to the occasion, revelling in the gladiatorial arena. A nice change. Just a pity a tragedy like Afghanistan brings out the best and worst of our politicians.

Gordon Ronald

Hertfordshire

British pensioners are the poorest in Europe. Are those of us who have paid tax and national insurance really worth so little? Now they are reportedly adjusting the “triple lock” on pensions and expect us to pay for dementia care. We really are treated as second class citizens by this government.

Helen Rowland

Harwich, Essex

You report that those who live in the countryside are less likely to have faith in democracy than city dwellers. It might not all be down to rural disadvantage. Parliamentary electorates are also much more diverse in the countryside, so that anyone elected as MP is unlikely to be representative of most voters – and voters in the villages and hamlets have little in common with those in the market towns and vice versa.

Under the proposals for electoral reform, I will find myself living in a new electorate of Haverhill and Halstead – the former in Suffolk, the other in Essex. I have no reason ever to visit either town – Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds both being much closer. I know that any MP is going to have to learn their way around the education, health, highways and policing systems of both counties. I also know that my MP will most likely be a Conservative. It is hard to feel faith in democracy in the abstract when it feels so denied in the concrete.

Rachael Padman

Dalham, Newmarket, Suffolk