Ministers have rejected the expectation that Joe Biden Will extend August 31 deadline for withdrawal of US troops Afghanistan The G7 talks today as the UK, France and Germany prepare to be last-ditch.
Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel With thousands of desperate people still swarming at Kabul airport, the evacuation operation is expected to escalate matters for a longer period.
However, Mr Johnson and Mr Biden discussed the airlift in a call last night without making any progress, and the Taliban have warned of ‘consequences’ if an attempt is made to do so.
Secretary of Defense ben wallace This morning it said it is “unlikely” that the deadline will be extended, as the RAF has evacuated 2,000 more people in the last 24 hours.
‘I don’t think it’s a possibility. Not just because of what the Taliban said, but if you look at President Biden’s public statements I think it’s unlikely,” Mr Wallace said.
‘It’s definitely worth a try for all of us, and we will.’
With military action likely to be sustained, plans are being looked at after August 31, with suggestions the Taliban may allow civilian evacuation flights to continue.
Joe Biden (left) is expected to extend America’s August 31 deadline to leave Afghanistan, Boris Johnson (right) made a last-ditch argument today.
British forces are engaged in a desperate struggle to help more and more Afghan allies leave the country
Passengers evacuated from Afghanistan disembarked from RAF Voyager aircraft at RAF Breeze Norton last night
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said this morning that it is “unlikely” the deadline will be extended, as the RAF has evacuated 2,000 more people in the past 24 hours.
Hopes that Joe Biden would extend the US August 31 deadline to leave Afghanistan seemed bleak last night.
Pentagon chiefs yesterday poured cold water on an extension and insisted they were ‘focused on getting it done by the end of the month’.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the president was “taking this day in and day out” and would make his decision on the extension “as we go.”
But he insisted the president still believes that ‘we have time between now and August 31 to kick out any American who wants to get out’.
Yesterday, the Taliban warned that any continued Western military operation in Afghanistan in September would break a “red line” and “provoke a backlash”.
“If the US or UK were to ask for additional time to continue the evacuation – the answer is no,” Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the militants, told Sky News.
‘Or it will have consequences. This will create distrust among us. If they are intent on continuing the capture, it will provoke a reaction.’
In another warning, a senior Taliban commander told the Mail last night: ‘If American soldiers… [the] They will have to face the consequences after fixing the deadline. Our fighters are ready to deal with them.
Mr Wallace said the danger at Kabul airport would increase as evacuation efforts neared the departure deadline.
“As we get closer to the deadline, I think it’s fair to say that the security risk has increased,” he said.
‘It becomes more and more dangerous as add-on groups and other terrorist groups like IS (the so-called Islamic State) want to take more credit, or be seen chasing west from the airport. , which is essentially going to fulfill his narrative and his ambitions.
‘We are very, very conscious that if these terrorists choose to do something, we are very, very vulnerable.’
Desperate British citizens are being prevented from fleeing Afghanistan and they are waving their passports at the authorities to escape
British soldiers deployed amid a crowd of people gathered near the airport in the hope of fleeing the country
23-year-old Zakia Khuddadi would have been the first woman to represent Afghanistan at the Paralympics
Last night it emerged that Western powers are in talks with the Taliban over the possibility that civilian flights could be used in the evacuation even if military flights cease.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: ‘We are in talks with the US, Turkey and other partners with the goal of allowing the airport to conduct civilian operations to evacuate these people.’
He said that Germany would continue to talk to the Taliban about this as well and would do so after the withdrawal of US troops.
Mr Wallace said: ‘I don’t think the United States is likely to remain after.’
Armed Forces Minister James Happy admitted the Taliban ‘gets one vote’ on the evacuation deadline.
“We have the military to stay there by force, but I don’t know if the humanitarian mission we’re launching helps Kabul become a war zone,” he said.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the president was “taking this day by day” and would make his decision on the extension “as we go”.
Asked about the Taliban spokesman’s remarks, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘I don’t think we have had any direct communication in this regard.’
He said that “discussions on the ground” have been held with the Taliban to extend the deadline.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said: ‘We are focused on getting this done before the end of the month.’
But he said the US would “absolutely consider” the views of allies.
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