British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told local media on Thursday that the “overwhelming majority” of people who are eligible for evacuation from Afghanistan, around 15,000 people, have already been evacuated.
He made his comments to reporters while meeting military personnel coordinating the evacuation at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in north London.
“In the time we have left, which may be – as I'm sure everybody can appreciate – quite short, we'll do everything we can to get everybody else,” he added.
In related news underlining the precariousness of the evacuation mission, British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told Sky News that a “very lethal attack” on Kabul airport could take place within hours.
The source of the threat is the ISIS/Daesh’s affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K. They are known for their use of car bombs and individual suicide attacks.
“I can't go into the details, clearly. But we have to be mindful of the security of our personnel, but also of the Afghan people who are trying to get out,” Johnson said, adding that the British government has to be “transparent about the risks” from ISIS-K.
He added that while the “lion’s share” of those eligible for evacuation have been evacuated, “there will be people who still need help.”
He said that while British troops will withdraw by Aug. 31, the UK’s commitment to those wanting to leave will not end then, warning the Taliban that if they wants to have relations with the rest of the world, then it is in their interest to allow people to leave.
“What we're hoping, and this is the key point that the G7 agreed (at Tuesday’s virtual meeting), is that the Taliban understand that if they want to engage with development aid, they want to unlock those billions of funds, they want to have a diplomatic, political relationship with the outside world, then the safe passage for those who want to come out is the key precondition,” Johnson said.
He previously failed to convince US President Joe Biden to extend the evacuation’s deadline from next Tuesday, Aug. 31.
US troops will need time to evacuate themselves and their equipment, and other NATO countries including the UK, who are relying on the US to secure the airport, will have to withdraw their troops and equipment before the US.
This means the evacuations will end at least a few days before Tuesday. The UK has over 1,000 British troops and diplomats on the ground managing the evacuation.
