U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was paddle-boarding in Greece when the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

Even though reports have hinted that Raab was lying about the sea being closed, there isn't sufficient evidence to show that he was paddle-boarding.

Even though reports have hinted that Raab was lying about the sea being closed, there isn't sufficient evidence to show that he was paddle-boarding.According to a report by The Irish Times dated August 25, 2021, British foreign secretary Dominic Raab had faced intense criticism for not returning from Crete when the situation in Afghanistan began to deteriorate, and the Taliban took over the country on August 15, 2021. The report quoted witnesses who claim they saw Raab swimming and paddleboarding on the last day of his holiday.

On August 25, Raab falsified the claims and called them "nonsense," The Irish Times reported. He added that he was "working," and could not have been paddle-boarding as "the sea was closed.," and said that "with the benefit of hindsight," he would not have gone away on holiday at that time. The report also quoted him saying that he left to return from the holiday on August 15 and worked "tirelessly" during the crisis.

Speaking to BBC, Raab said that he was focussing on the evacuation operation and the stability of Kabul airport. He said that since the sea wasn't open because of a red flag, "no one was paddle-boarding."

However, a report by The Independent quoted the owner of GDM Island Hotel in Kato Gouves, Lena Michalaki, as saying, "As far as we are aware, there aren't any beaches which are closed." According to the report, Lena's hotel is close to Raab's resort. She added that the "beach in front of the hotel is open to the public all summer." The report further quoted Greek meteorologist Thodoris Kolydas, who said, "We did not have any significant weather phenomenon in the area of Crete between 12-15 Aug. The winds were north, with a maximum of 6 t,o 7 Beaufort (25-38mph), and the weather was locally cloudy."

However, even though the sea was open to the public, we have no evidence to prove if Raab was paddle-boarding or working when the Afghanistan government collapsed. Thus, the claim that Dominic Raab was paddle-boarding in Greece when the Taliban took over Afghanistan is unverifiable.