British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “apprehensive” about Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US and UK troops, saying the countries must work together so “blood and treasure” is not wasted.
Before the Commons Liaison Committee yesterday, Mr Johnson told MPs he was not “happy” about the deteriorating security there.
He said: “If you ask me if I feel happy about the current situation in Afghanistan, of course I don’t. The situation is fraught with risks.”
Mr Johnson will give a statement to the house today regarding the country, which has seen Taliban advances in recent days after coalition troops withdrew.
He is expected to pay tribute to the 454 British men and women, who lost their lives during the 20-year conflict.
Ben Wallace, the UK defence secretary, said that the decision by Joe Biden, the US president, to withdraw had left the UK and other Nato allies in a “very difficult position to continue that mission”.
Mr Johnson added: “We must hope that the parties in Kabul can come together to reach an agreement.
“We have to hope that the blood and treasure spent by this country over decades protecting the people of Afghanistan has not been in vain and that the legacy of their efforts is protected.”
Taliban fighters stormed into a provincial capital in north-western Afghanistan yesterday, briefly holding government buildings before being forced back by troops.
The push into Qala-e-Naw, capital of Badghis, was the first assault on a major town during a two-month offensive which has seen dozens of rural districts wrested from government control.
Government offices including the local police headquarters and provincial office of the National Directorate of Security were briefly seized before special forces pushed the militants back. Around 200 prisoners are believed to have escaped during the fighting.
A cascade of Taliban gains has caused alarm in Kabul and Nato capitals, as the militants have appeared to march almost unchecked across swathes of rural northern Afghanistan.
As fighting erupted, the governor, Hessamuddin Shams, issued a warning saying: “The enemy has entered the city, all the districts have fallen.”
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]