Ex-British soldier arrested by Taliban rescued after UK delegation visits Afghanistan

A former British soldier, who was arrested by the Taliban after they took over Afghanistan, has been successfully evacuated out of the war-torn country. According to Sky News, a group of British delegates executed the rescue operation, flying Ben Slater out on a special flight organised by the Qatari administration. The delegation which included UK Mission for Afghan transition Sir Simon Grass and the charge d’affaires Martin Longden also met the Taliban administration to discuss prospects of peace in the country.

Slater, a former soldier, was running his business Nomad Concepts Groups in Kabul when it fell to the Taliban. In September, Sunni Pashtun insurgents arrested him while he was trying to aid Afghan residents to flee the country. It is to mention that since 15 August, British forces have evacuated more than 15,000 people from the central asian country.  

UK delegation meets Taliban 

Meanwhile, the British offcials also held a detailed discussion with Taliban and urged them to prevent Afghansitan from beoming an "incubator for terrorism". In addendum, they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between UK and Taliban to resolve the excruciating humanitarian crisis in the country. In a statement, Longden stated, "A wide range of issues (were) covered - including the humanitarian crisis, terrorism, the importance of safe passage for UK and Afghan nationals, and rights of women and girls." 

In a similar mission, British troops rescued three Afghan families whose contact details had been left behind at its embassy in Kabul and were seized by the Taliban, The Washington Post reported. Amidst exacerbating conflict and chaos in Afghanistan, UK embassy officials mistakenly jeopardised the lives of at least seven Afghan natives by leaving their contract documents and applications behind. But, on Friday, Downing Street confirmed that they were rescued in time.

Speaking to media reporters, a representative for the UK Foreign Office said that they have worked “tirelessly to secure the safety of those who worked for us in Afghanistan” and continue to do so. While an investigation was launched into the incident, the official further reckoned that British officials have made “every effort to destroy sensitive material.” “The drawdown of our embassy was done at pace as the situation in Kabul deteriorated,” he explained.

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