Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Defence Select Committee, called on the UK to re-engage with the Taliban and reopen its embassy in Kabul in a now-deleted video - arguing the country's security had "vastly improved" since the group returned to power in 2021.

"This is a very different country indeed - it feels different now since the Taliban have returned to power," he said.

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Posting the video from a trip to the country with the Halo Trust - which was retweeted by the Taliban's official spokesman - Mr Ellwood said this "war-weary nation" was now "accepting a more authoritarian leadership in exchange for stability".

The senior Conservative, whose brother was killed by Islamist extremists, urged the UK to reopen its embassy in Afghanistan - saying: "If the EU's embassy can open up, so can ours."

Mr Ellwood, who previously served in the Army, also drew criticism when he said: "Shouting from afar will not improve women's rights."

He faced an immediate backlash over his comments - with former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg saying it was "foolish and ill-advised" and "could have been issued by the Afghan tourist board".

Fellow defence committee member Mark Francois said the video as "utterly bizarre" - and said one of his colleagues had described it as a "wish you were here" video.

"He made no mention of the fact that the Taliban are still attempting to identify and kill Afghan citizens who helped our Armed Forces, and also makes no specific mention of the fact that young girls in Afghanistan don't even have the right to go to school under that government," Mr Francois said.

"I wish to make plain, on behalf of the committee, he was speaking for himself, even though he used the title of chairman of our committee in a number of associated articles. Not in our name."

Mr Ellwood has now apologised for his remarks, saying the reflections from his "personal visit" could have been better worded.

He added: "I am sorry for my poor communication.

"I stand up, speak my mind, try to see the bigger picture and offer solutions, especially on the international stage, as our world turns a dangerous corner. I don't always get it right."

But he appeared to defend some of his initial thoughts - reiterating that "our current strategy of shouting from afar, after abruptly abandoning the country in 2021, is not working".

Mr Ellwood argued: "My simple call to action was to see our embassy reopen again and pursue a more direct strategy to help the 40 million people we abandoned."

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NATO left Afghanistan nearly two years ago in a chaotic withdrawal that saw the Taliban take back power in the country.

Since its return, the Taliban has reinstated bans on education for girls - and introduced laws stopping women from going to work.

The group has also banned women's beauty salons, and prevented women from being in public spaces such as parks and gyms.