Afghanistan news live: G7 to discuss Taliban recognition as UK says August 31
Afghanistan evacuation ‘down to hours,’ says minister
The G7 will meet on Tuesday to discuss its response to the crisis in Afghanistan, including whether or not to recognise the Taliban.
Chaired by Boris Johnson, the meeting will focus on the evacuation efforts in Kabul and the long term plan once US troops have left the country.
The British prime minister is expected to ask Joe Biden to consider delaying the withdrawal of the US military beyond the 31 August deadline. This would allow more people to be evacuated from the country.
However, the chances of the US president agreeing to the request appear slim. When asked about the likelihood of a potential extension, British defence secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News: “I think it is unlikely. If you look at the public statements of president Biden, I think it is unlikely, but it is definitely worth us all trying and we will.”
He added that the security risk will “go up” as the deadline approaches, after the militant group said the presence of foreign troops in the country beyond August is a “red line” that would “provoke a reaction”.
Deploying more troops to Afghanistan ‘not the solution’, says defence secretary
Flying thousands more British troops to Kabul airport is not the answer, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said.
The Tory frontbencher told the BBC: “It’s not about effectively whether I could fly in thousands of troops and secure the airport. Yes, I could do that, I could probably secure the airport for a few months, or maybe a year or two.
“But for what purpose? For them to be shot at, attacked, people not to get to the airport and to trigger just a permanent fight? I don’t think that is a solution.”
Rory Sullivan24 August 2021 08:55
Taliban would have to agree to evacuation extension, says Tugendhat
The Taliban and not just the US would need to back an extension of the evacuation deadline, the chair of the foreign affairs committee has said.
Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, who served as an army officer in Afghanistan, stressed that the British operation in Afghanistan would end when the US withdraws.
“We can ask the Americans if they’re willing to stand with us. If they’re not then we can’t secure the perimeter and we can’t manage air traffic control, so if the Americans decide to go now I’m afraid that is it. But we can ask,” he said.
Rory Sullivan24 August 2021 08:36
PM needs to ‘step up’ after years of ‘trashing alliances’, says Nandy
Boris Johnson needs to “step up” in Afghanistan and the region after years of “trashing our alliances”, the shadow foreign secretary has said.
Speaking about the situation in Afghanistan, Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast that the government must do more to help.
The Labour frontbencher said that the UK should support countries in the region like Pakistan, which are “seeing huge numbers of people crossing the border at the moment”.
“To keep those borders open we need the world’s wealthiest countries to step up and say, ‘We will support you, this will not be your problem alone when this refugee crisis is over’,” she added.
She said the G7…
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