British PM Johnson: We will judge the Taliban by their actions, not their words

LONDON: The British Parliament met in a special session to discuss the developments in Afghanistan.

Speaking here, Johnson stated that his priority right now is to evacuate the remaining British citizens and their allies.

Johnson argued that after the US announced its intention to withdraw, they faced a “difficult reality” and that the allies had no desire to continue without the US.

Noting that the West cannot maintain this US-led task, the British Prime Minister said, “I think it is really an illusion to believe that there is a desire for a military presence among our allies or for a military solution implemented by NATO in Afghanistan. This idea ended with the end of the conflict in 2014.” said.

Saying that British soldiers should not be expected to redeploy, Johnson said, “I do not believe that deploying tens of thousands of British soldiers to fight the Taliban is an option today, no matter how sincerely people defend it.” made its assessment.

The British Prime Minister denied the allegations that the government was caught unprepared for the developments.

Stating that the planning has been going on for several months and the decision to establish an emergency center at Kabul Airport was taken two weeks ago, Johnson argued that “the collapse was even faster than the Taliban had predicted”.

“The most important thing is that we do it as quickly as we can, and that’s what we’re doing right now,” Johnson said.

Pointing to the promises made by the Taliban, Johnson said: “We will evaluate this regime not by its words, but by its choices, its actions, its stance against terrorism, crime and drugs; access to humanitarian aid, girls’ right to education,” he said.

THE PROCESS OF TALIBAN TO DOMINATE THE COUNTRY

Within the framework of the peace agreement reached between the USA and the Taliban in February 2020, the process of withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan began this year.

While the agreement stipulated not to attack foreign forces, it did not make provision for the actions of the Taliban against Afghan security forces.

Continuing the negotiations with the Afghan government in Doha, the Taliban have simultaneously dominated many districts and provincial centers in Afghanistan with violent attacks since June.

Besieging the capital Kabul, the Taliban took control of the city without conflict after President Ashraf Ghani left the country on 15 August.