UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan.
In a tweet on Sunday afternoon, Mr Johnson said;
“I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanisatan. It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years”.
The talks will come after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan last weekend, prompting thousands to try and flee the country and many UK and US personnel being evacuated.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab chaired a call of G7 Foreign and Development Ministers on Thursday, during which G7 ministers are said to have expressed concerns about the “significant loss of life and internal displacement in Afghanistan”. In a statement after the call, Mr Raab said “The G7 Ministers call on the international community to come together with a shared mission to prevent the crisis in Afghanistan escalating.”
Earlier in the week, MPs debated the UK Government’s response in the Houses of Parliament.
The UK Government has been criticised by many for its response to the situation in Afghanistan so far, with some claiming that more efforts should have been committed.
The Government has already committed to taking up to 20,000 Afghan refugees over the coming years through a new resettlement scheme, though critics have argued this figure should be higher, especially given the UK’s military involvement in Afghanistan over recent years.
The response to the crisis by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has also prompted calls for his resignation, with reports suggesting he delegated the task of giving urgent support by phone to a junior minister while he was on holiday. Mr Raab has refused calls to resign and has been backed by the Prime Minister.
The Taliban said earlier this week that they wanted the world to trust them, though some reports have sparked concerns about people’s safety on the ground in the country, with reports of people being attacked and some killed during scrambles to try and flee the country.
