n Extend the deadline for withdrawing the remaining troops Afghanistan Allowing the evacuation to continue is “unlikely,” the Secretary of Defense has admitted before the emergency meeting with Joe Biden.
Ben Wallace He is pessimistic about whether the August 31 withdrawal date will be postponed because he cited the reluctance of the US President and warned of the Taliban’s influence.
Boris Johnson On Tuesday afternoon, he is hosting a virtual G7 summit during which he is expected to pressure Biden to keep his troops in the Afghan capital for longer.
But the Taliban, who came to power after a large-scale U.S. withdrawal last week, said that foreign troops exceeding the deadline will cross the “red line”, which will “provoke a reaction.”
A spokesperson for the organization warned on Tuesday that evacuations “will not be allowed” after August 31.
Mr. Wallace admitted that “we will not let everyone leave this country” and expressed pessimism about the prospects of the evacuation operation. acceptance The airport will continue to operate after August 31.
“I think it’s unlikely. Not only because of what the Taliban said, but if you look at President Biden’s public statement, I think it’s unlikely,” he told Sky News.
“It’s definitely worth trying for all of us, and we will.”
People fleeing Afghanistan
/ Public broadcastingAccording to the Secretary of Defense, the United Kingdom has evacuated 8,600 people from Afghanistan in the past 10 days, of which more than 2,000 have been evacuated in the past 24 hours.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that no withdrawal from Afghanistan will be allowed after the current deadline.
At a press conference in Kabul, he said: “August 31st was a given time, after which the agreement was violated.
“Everyone should be removed before that date.
“After that, we will not allow them, nor will our country, and we will take a different position.”
Wallace insisted that it was inappropriate to try to protect Kabul Airport with British troops after the U.S. withdrawal.
Troops in Kabul
/ Public broadcasting“This is not whether I can effectively ride thousands of soldiers and ensure airport security.
“Yes, I can do it, and I may be able to secure the airport in a few months, or one or two years,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
“But what is the purpose? In order to get them shot and attacked, people don’t go to the airport and start a permanent battle? I don’t think this is the solution.”
Mr. Wallace predicted that the “consequences” of the Taliban being threatened by missing the deadline to leave may include preventing people from going to the Kabul airport and “military activities that may close the airport.”
this Prime Minister On Monday night, I had a conversation with Mr. Biden before the conference call with G7 leaders, including the Secretary-General of NATO and the United Nations.
“The Taliban will judge based on their actions rather than their words,” the prime minister added.
Boris Johnson
/ Public broadcastingMichelle Bachelet, the head of human rights at the United Nations, warned that she had received credible reports of “summary executions” and restrictions on women in areas controlled by the Taliban.
Mr. Johnson promised to “use all humanitarian and diplomatic means” to protect human rights in Afghanistan.
The leaders of the Group of Seven nations, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, are expected to further discuss aid and the rapidly evolving refugee and humanitarian crisis.
Before the summit, the six chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the G7 Parliament issued a joint statement urging not to end military support for the withdrawal on “arbitrary dates.”
Signed by Mr. Biden, Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and Conservative Party senior member Tom Tugendhat, they also urged not to “artificially limit the number of evacuation.”
Former National Security Adviser Sir Markle Grant said that it is “completely unrealistic” to think that the deadline can be extended without the consent of the Taliban.
“If the Taliban starts firing missiles at the aircraft that is about to take off, if they throw mortars at the airport, the Taliban can stop the evacuation process within an hour, so the evacuation is carried out with the cooperation of the Taliban,” he told BBC Radio 4’s World. .
