UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has stated that “the Taliban are in control of Afghanistan” and that British troops “are not going back”.
“I acknowledge that the Taliban are in control […]. I mean, you don’t have to be a political scientist to spot that’s where we’re at”, Wallace told Sky News on Monday.
When asked whether the UK and NATO would return to Afghanistan, Wallace said: “That’s not on the cards […] we’re [not] going to go back”.
The defense secretary added that said the military side of the Kabul Airport was secure, with the UK doing its best to evacuate British citizens and Afghans with links to Britain.
“Our target is […] about 1,200 to 1,500 exit [sic] a day in the capacity of our aeroplanes, and we’ll keep that flow”, he said.
When asked how it feels to see the Taliban flag fly over the former British Embassy building in Kabul, Wallace admitted that “symbolically, it’s not what any of us wanted”.
According to him, now is not the right time to contemplate on whether the Taliban should be recognized as the Afghan government.
“I think there is a lot of more to come before those decisions are made. The proof of the pudding will be obviously in their actions rather than their rhetoric”, Wallace stressed.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for his part, told reporters on Sunday that there will be a “new government” in Afghanistan, but urged “likeminded” countries not to recognize it “prematurely”.
Asked whether he expected Afghanistan to fall to the Taliban so quickly, Johnson said: “I think it’s fair to say that the US decision to pull out has accelerated things”.
Source: Agencies
