The US troops should keep American boots on the ground in Afghanistan even after its withdrawal deadline, said Boris Johnson. The British prime minister is expected to ask President Joe Biden to do that, but the Taliban won’t accept any extension.
For the Taliban, August 31st is a deadline, a “red line”, according to Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen. This week, PM Johnson is set to push the Biden for more time for evacuation during an emergency summit of G7 countries on Tuesday.
During Monday briefings to press by No. 10 Downing Street, the meeting comes as several thousands of people have gathered around Kabul airport in a desperate attempt to escape Taliban rule, Sky News reports.
“If the U.S. or U.K. were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, the answer is no,” UK PM said. “Or there would be consequences.”
The British top military James Heappey echoed PM’s words, saying that the evacuations had been made possible by the presence of US troops and Taliban co-operation. According to him, if there is no opportunity to extend the deadline, then we need to continue with our plans to be out by 31 August.
The G7 meeting will be entirely dedicated to Kabul fall. The U.K. will also ask other G7 nations to consider sanctions against the Taliban if they commit human rights abuses or allow Afghanistan to once again become a haven for terrorists.
