Boris Johnson has said the sacrifices made by British troops in Afghanistan have not been “in vain”, but warned there was no “military solution” to prevent the resurgence of the Taliban.
Following a meeting of the Government’s Cobra contingencies committee, the Prime Minister confirmed the “vast bulk” of the remaining UK embassy staff in Kabul would return in the next few days.
At the same time, he said the Government was stepping up efforts to relocate Afghans who had assisted British forces during their time in the country and who now face reprisals if they fall into hands of the militants.
A team of Home Office officials to help deal with their applications will join 600 British troops due to fly out to the country to assist in the evacuation of the remaining UK nationals and embassy staff as the Taliban forces close in on the capital.
There was, however, widespread dismay among MPs who claimed the country was being abandoned to its fate with a series of provincial capitals falling to the Taliban as they continue their lightning advance across the country.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Johnson said it was the “inevitable logical consequence” of the decision of the the US administration of President Joe Biden to complete the final pull-out of American troops by September.
While he said that the UK would continue to work with international partners to prevent the country again becoming a breeding ground for international terrorism, he acknowledged they could not impose a solution on the battlefield.
“It is very difficult obviously, but I think the UK can be extremely proud of what has been done in Afghanistan over the last 20 years,” he said.
“I think we have got to be realistic about the power of the UK or any power to impose a military solution – a combat solution – in Afghanistan.
“What we certainly can do is work with all our partners in the region around the world who share an interest with us in preventing Afghanistan once again becoming a breeding ground for terror.”
Mr Johnson said the efforts of British forces, who first entered the country in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks, had helped prevent further terrorist atrocities.
“I don’t think that it was in vain. If you look back at what has happened over the last 20 years there was a massive effort to deal with a particular problem that everybody will remember after 9/11,” he said.
“That was successful. To a very large extent the threat from al Qaida on the streets of our capital, around the UK, around the whole of the West, was greatly, greatly reduced.
“I believe it was right, it was worth it and what we must do now is not turn our backs on Afghanistan.”
However many MPs said the UK should be doing more to prevent the country falling back into the hands of militants and extremists.
Conservative former defence minister Johnny Mercer, who served as a soldier in Afghanistan, said it was “deeply humiliating” watching events unfold.
He told BBC Breakfast: “(US President Joe) Biden has made a huge mistake here, but also we have a role. This idea we cannot act unilaterally and support the Afghan security forces is simply not true.”
Rory Stewart, a former Tory international development secretary, warned of the return of international terrorism as the Taliban regained its grip on power.
“They have been backing suicide bombing in the areas they control, women are not going to school and it is a total betrayal by the United States and the United Kingdom,” he told Sky News.
For Labour, shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the Government should consider “all possible measures” to support the Afghan army in resisting the advance of the Taliban.
“We have an obligation to the people of Afghanistan who have suffered so much – but the Government is sending all the wrong signals,” she said.
However Conservative former foreign secretary Lord Hammond said that while the withdrawal of US forces had been a “gross miscalculation” by the Biden administration, there was little the UK could do.
“It’s not the fault of the British Government, they had really no choice but to withdraw British troops once the US had decided to withdraw American troops,” he told Times Radio.
