ANTI-WAR campaigners called on Western governments today to abandon their flimsy arguments justifying the “war on terror” and welcome refugees fleeing the Taliban.

Stop the War Coalition convener Lindsey German challenged the British government to help Afghan refugees with reparations, saying that the 20-year intervention in Afghanistan was about “asserting Western imperialism, not championing human rights.”

Ms German said: “Those who argue for continued humanitarian intervention are spreading the illusion that this was ever on offer. It was not. It is therefore right for the troops to leave and for the Afghan people to decide their own future.

“Instead, the very military and politicians who caused such a catastrophe are asked for their opinions on a daily basis while those who predicted this outcome are ignored.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab hit out at claims from Defence Secretary Ben Wallace that he knew the “game was up” in Afghanistan back in July.

Under vast pressure over his handling of the crisis, Mr Raab said the advice from the intelligence community and the military was that Kabul was unlikely to fall this year.

Mr Raab said Britain would not recognise the Taliban in the “foreseeable future” but said there was an “important scope for engagement and dialogue.”

Mr Wallace countered Mr Raab’s claims by saying that history shows “it’s not about failure of intelligence, it’s about the limits of intelligence.”