‘Committed to Afghanistan; will work with Taliban if necessary’: UK PM Johnson

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the situation regarding the evacuation of British nationals and Afghans at the Kabul airport is getting “slightly better” although the logistical challenges are “formidable.”

As Taliban consistently try to present a reformed image and assure the international community that no threat whatsoever can be expected from them, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said that they will work with the Islamist extremist group “if necessary.”

The Boris Johnson-led government has announced 5 million pounds for local councils in England, Wales and Scotland offering to house Afghans who left their country and have arrived in the UK under the ARAP.

Addressing the media after an emergency Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) meeting that focused on the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, Johnson said, “What I want to assure people is that our political and diplomatic efforts to find a solution for Afghanistan, working with the Taliban, of course, if necessary, will go on and our commitment to Afghanistan is lasting.”

The UK PM said that the situation regarding the evacuation of British nationals and diplomats from Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport is getting “slightly better” and reaching “stabilisation.”

“Yesterday [Thursday], we were able to get out about 1,000 people and today [Friday] another 1,000 people,” Johnson said, adding that those arriving in the UK are not only British nationals but also Afghans coming under the Afghanistan Resettlement and Assistance Programme (ARAP).

Referring to the Afghan citizens, Johnson said that these people are interpreters and others to whom the UK owes “debts of gratitude and honour.”

Although Johnson said that the operation to get UK citizens homes and evacuate Afghan nationals as well is “becoming faster,” he is not going to “pretend that it’s easy.” “The logistical challenges are formidable and they are doing an outstanding job in very difficult circumstances,” the UK PM pointed out.

The UK on Tuesday announced the ARAP that permits Afghan nationals to reside in the country over a ‘long term’ period. According to the scheme, as many as 5,000 Afghan citizens will be given refuge in the first year itself, UK home secretary Priti Patel was quoted as saying by BBC News. The scheme allows Afghans, who have worked for the UK in Afghanistan, to enter Great Britain.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that women, children and religious minorities will be prioritised for the ARAP that allows Afghan citizens to resettle in the UK over a period of five years.

The Johnson-led government has also announced 5 million pounds for local councils in England, Wales and Scotland offering to house Afghans who left their war-torn country and have arrived in the UK under the ARAP.

During the COBRA meeting, Johnson also defended his foreign secretary Dominic Raab, who has come under fire over missing a phone call from his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar in the now ousted Ashraf Ghani-led government in Afghanistan. “I can tell you that the whole of the government has been working virtually round the clock, hitting the phones, to do what we can to sort it out; to deal with a situation that has been long in gestation and to make sure that we get as many people back as possible.”

According to reports, Raab’s office was asked to call Atmar to request him for aiding in the evacuation of local interpreters who had helped UK officials and the military during the course of 20 years.

However, Raab – on a holiday in Crete in Greece - reportedly never called Atmar, thereby igniting severe criticism from the opposition parties who have also demanded his resignation. “While the foreign secretary lay on a sun lounger, the Taliban advanced,” Labour party's foreign affairs spokesperson Lisa Nandy said.

The UK PM stuck to his earlier statement where he said that the Taliban will be judged on the basis of their actions and not words, while “hoping” that they mean what they say. “As I said in the House of Commons, and I think that this is the position of … the President of the United States, President Macron of France, [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel, everybody that I talked to – everybody agreed that we will judge them on their actions, and that is the important thing.”

Great Britain has since last Saturday evacuated as many as 1,615 people, including 399 British citizens and their dependents, 320 embassy staff, and a total of 402 Afghans who worked for the UK government in Afghanistan.

Since its sweeping triumph over the Afghan troops – an outcome that was emboldened after US President Joe Biden’s announcement of withdrawing American army two decades later, Taliban have portrayed a relatively moderate outlook, assuring women and girls will be allowed to receive education and even work.

At the extremist group’s first press conference, spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban are “committed to providing women with their rights based on Islam. "Women can work in the health sector and other sectors where they are needed. There will be no discrimination against women," TOLOnews quoted him as saying.

(With inputs from PTI)