U.K. will send 600 troops to Afghanistan to rescue its nationals after Taliban captures Kandahar
The United Kingdom (U.K.) has announced to send 600 troops to Afghanistan to help British national leave the country, as Taliban seized the country’s second-largest city, Kandahar.
The troops would be arriving in Afghanistan in a pre-planned phase. They will protect the British nationals and help them relocate. It is estimated that around 4,000 British nationals are still stuck in Afghanistan.
The deployment is in light of increasing violence and rapidly deteriorating security environment in Afghanistan. Apart from Kandahar, Taliban has also captured the cities of Ghazni and Herat. It has also captured the city of Lashkar Gah in Southern Afghanistan. Last week, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office had advised all the British nationals in Afghanistan to leave the country.
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary of State for Defence, U.K. – Ben Wallace said, “I have authorised the deployment of additional military personnel to support the diplomatic presence in Kabul, assist British nationals to leave the country and support the relocation of former Afghan staff who risked their lives serving alongside us.”
He further said, “The security of British nationals, British military personnel and former Afghan staff is our first priority. We must do everything we can to ensure their safety.”
He made it clear that Britain could return to Afghanistan if the country starts hosting al-Qaeda in a way that threatens the West.
The U.K.’s Ambassador to Afghanistan – Sir Laurie Bristow, will continue to lead a small team in Afghanistan which will relocate within Kabul to a more secure location.
Taking it to twitter, the official twitter handle of Ministry of Defence, U.K. tweeted,
Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP has authorised the deployment of additional military personnel to Afghanistan to assist British nationals leaving the country and support the relocation of former Afghan staff.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 12, 2021
Read more here 👇https://t.co/JZyS6feu96
Meanwhile, the United States (U.S.) has also announced to send 3,000 troops to Afghanistan to rescue its nationals. The U.S. had already warned that Afghan Government would fall within 30 days. According to the estimates United Nations (U.N.), more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the past month. Makeshift camps have been established on the outskirts of the capital, while many others have reportedly been sleeping on the streets or in abandoned warehouses.
Taliban has moved with speed and now controls 1/3rd of the country’s regional cities and most of Northern Afghanistan.
Earlier, U.K. had said it will withdraw all its troops from the war-torn Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, following the footsteps of its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ally, U.S. The Afghanistan had previously warned that with NATO troops leaving the country, Taliban will try and control Afghanistan.
Besides, in February 2020, the U.S. and the Taliban had agreed to a ‘Bringing Peace to Afghanistan’ agreement. It was signed in the capital city of Qatar, Doha. As per the agreement, the U.S. and the NATO members must withdraw all their troops from Afghanistan within 14 months of the agreement provided Taliban assures it will not allow Al Qaeda or other terror outfits to operate in the region. At the same time, Taliban will not target international troops or diplomats. While Taliban has stopped attacking international forces, it continues to fight Afghan Government.
