Afghanistan: Britain Will Demand That Afghans Be Allowed To Depart Securely.
Key Sentence:
- The international community will "emphasize with one voice the safe passage of Afghans wishing to leave the country," said Boris Johnson.
- The Prime Minister's remarks came after the UN Security Council asked the Taliban to allow people to leave the country.
US troops withdrew from Afghanistan on Monday, ending their 20-year presence and leaving the Taliban under control.
British troops also left over the weekend.
In a draft resolution adopted late Monday, the UN Security Council also called on the Taliban not to make Afghanistan a base for terrorism.
He called on all countries to allow the United Nations and charities "full, safe and unhindered access" to provide humanitarian assistance. The resolution made by the United Kingdom and France was adopted with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions from China and Russia.
Johnson said he "showed clearly that the international community is equal to Afghans."
"There will be no return of oppression or terror. Instead, we will insist as one voice for safe travel, humanitarian access, and respect for human rights," he wrote on Twitter.
The Taliban made promises to those allowed to leave the country.
Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Lady Barbara Woodward, said fighters would be brought to justice "based on their actions on the ground, not their words." US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also pledged "to keep the Taliban in their commitment to freedom of movement." Shadow Foreign Minister Lisa Nandi welcomed the resolution but said it had to go further.
"The new reality in Afghanistan requires the most comprehensive and coordinated international approach to the Taliban," he tweeted. "This resolution leaves fundamental and practical questions unanswered that urgently need to be addressed now."
What's next for the international community?
Analyzer box from James Landdale, Diplomatic. correspondent. The military presence of Western forces in Afghanistan may be over.
The difference now is that they have to try to influence the Taliban from outside. And that raises a tricky question. How committed are you to the new government? How do you ensure that foreigners and Afghans do get out safely? And how do they protect the free flow of aid to avoid a humanitarian crisis?
The West offered the Taliban carrots, lifted sanctions, and promised diplomatic recognition. But all this seems a long way off, as is a unified international response to China and Russia's decision to abstain from the United Nations.
Diplomats say, however, that all countries have a common interest in ensuring Afghanistan's stability and security. More than 15,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan from Britain since August 14.
There are concerns that some 800 to 1,100 eligible Afghans, including those who work for the British government, and 100 to 150 Britons, have not yet boarded evacuation flights. The last flight of US troops left Kabul just before midnight local time in response to President Biden's pledge to step down on August 31.