The UK is now holding talks with the Taliban about securing ‘safe passage’ out of Afghanistan for those who worked with allied forces – days after leaving the country in chaos.
Officials are aiming to help British nationals and Afghans who helped them during their time in the country – even as the Taliban pinned death warnings on the doors of those they believe collaborated with the West.
Downing Street confirmed that Sir Simon Gass, the Prime Minister’s special representative for Afghan transition, has travelled to Qatar for talks with ‘senior Taliban representatives’, to again plea for people to be allowed to leave Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office also announced that 15 crisis response specialists are being flown to Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to help British diplomats trying to help people escape Afghanistan over land borders before eventually reaching the UK.
They are set to arrive within 48 hours, and will focus on helping UK nationals, interpreters and other Afghans who were employed by the UK – as well as those Afghans judged most at risk.
The USA withdrew its final soldiers earlier this week.
It comes after a chaotic withdrawal of western troops, which saw huge queues outside Kabul airport, which were then targeted by a suicide bomber, and people attempt to cling to departing airplane.
The RAF airlifted 15,000 out but countless people eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) were left behind after the Taliban shocked western intelligence services by taking over the country so quickly.
Meanwhile, the Home Office said Afghans who worked with the British government and military will be able to move to the UK permanently.
Former Afghan staff and family members covered by Arap will be given immediate indefinite leave to remain as opposed to only five years’ temporary residency, as previously permitted.
That is part of the Government’s ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, designed to help Afghans rebuild their lives in the UK, while Afghans with British relatives will no longer need to meet visa requirements to settle in the UK.
More than 8,000 Arap claimants were among those evacuated since August 13.
Under-fire Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab claimed on Tuesday that the number of UK nationals left behind was in the ‘low hundreds’.
But he was unable to give a ‘definitive’ figure when asked how many Afghans the UK failed to get out, with one former English teacher expressing his regret at working with the UK because he now fears for his life.
‘Why did I work for people who fled and left me alone here?’, the unnamed Afghan asked.
Elsewhere, MI6 chief Richard Moore has reportedly held talks with the Pakistani military on Afghanistan in recent days.
And secret discussions have already taken place between senior British intelligence officials and the Taliban in Kabul during the past fortnight, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper said the aim of the talks was to seek assurances that Afghanistan will not be used to launch terrorist attacks on the west.
When is the last day of summer?
Commenting on the latest initiatives, Mr Raab said: ‘The UK evacuated over 15,000 people from Afghanistan over the past fortnight, but we know not everyone who wanted to leave and were eligible for UK support could.
‘We will stand by them, and we’re working with partners in neighbouring countries to support onward travel to the UK.
‘These latest rapid deployment teams will bolster those efforts and reinforce our embassy teams on the ground to help those in need.’
Mr Raab will also face MPs on Wednesday to discuss the Government’s handling of the crisis.
With doubts about his future as Foreign Secretary, Downing Street insisted the Prime Minister has ‘full confidence’ in Mr Raab.
He was slammed for remaining on holiday in Crete as the Taliban was seizing back control of Kabul.
Mr Raab will be quizzed by the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, with shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy insisting her counterpart has questions to answer on ‘much more than the chaos of the last two weeks’.
She said: ‘This has been the biggest foreign policy failing in a generation.
‘The Foreign Secretary has serious questions to answer.’
She added: ‘The Foreign Secretary had 18 months to prepare but was missing in action.
‘As a result, on his watch Britain has become weaker in the world and faces greater risks from terrorism.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/3BySLFB
0 Comments