'The fall of Kabul and why it matters' is the subject of a lecture taking place at Ely Cathedral in October.

The talk is being delivered by Sir Laurie Bristow, the last UK ambassador to the Republic of Afghanistan.

The world watched in horror as Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15, 2021. It was just 20 years since western-backed Afghan forces overthrew the organisation in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Sir Laurie will discuss how decades of trying to build a modern, democratic society in Afghanistan "came to nothing"?

Discover the inside story of what took place that fateful August, why it happened, and why it matters.

The free event is at Ely Cathedral on Sunday October 5 at 5.15pm, with a retiring collection for Amnesty International.

Sir Laurie Bristow had previously been the UK’s ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020, and to Azerbaijan from 2004 to 2007.

Senior roles in London included Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Director for National Security. He has been President of Hughes Hall, Cambridge University, since October 2022.

He has recently published Kabul:Final Call: The Inside Story of the Withdrawal from Afghanistan, August 2021. Copies will be available for purchase.