UK PM Johnson 'apprehensive' about Afghanistan's future amid troop withdrawal

British PM Boris Johnson on July 7 said that he was “apprehensive” about the future of Afghanistan as the United States announced that its withdrawal from the country was now more than 90 per cent complete. While addressing the House of Commons, Johnson said that he doesn’t feel happy about the current situation in Afghanistan. He also added that the situation is “fraught with risks” which makes him “apprehensive” about the future of the country. 

"I'm apprehensive, the situation is fraught with risks. We must hope the parties in Kabul can come together to reach an agreement," Johnson said.

Further, the British PM hoped that the “blood and treasure” spent by the United Kingdom over decades in protecting the people of Afghanistan has not been in vain and the legacy of their efforts is protected. It is worth noting that over 400 British troops died in action in Afghanistan after the country joined the coalition intervention in 2001. Back in 2014, the British mission in the country shifted from a combat operation to one focused on supporting Afghan national forces, with the conflict costing the country around 40 billion. 

"The people of Afghanistan have been the beneficiaries of decades of UK support and investment, we've done our level best to help the stability, security and peace of that country," said the UK PM.

He added, “It has been a huge, huge commitment”. Johnson even went on to say that his government will do as much as possible with “American friends” to encourage peace. He said that he would make a statement in parliament on Thursday. 

Taliban launches attack 

Meanwhile, Johnson’s comments come after the Taliban launched a major assault on Qala-i-Naw in Afghanistan's northwestern Badghis province on Wednesday. With foreign troops nearly out of the country, the ever emboldened insurgents seized police headquarters and offices of the National Directorate of Security. The attack by the Islamist group has been seen as an escalation of its assault on the west of the country after the US military began its drawdown of troops.

Responding to the same, Afghanistan's Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi asserted that the “war is raging” with the Taliban and that Afghanistan’s defence forces will pull all the stops to defend the “homeland". "We recognize that the war is raging and we are in a very sensitive military situation," Mohammadi said, hours after the Taliban launched their assault on the city of Qala-i-Naw, the capital of Badghis province. "I want to reassure all of you that our national forces, with the support of local resistance forces, will use all their power and resources to defend our homeland and our people," he said in a statement released to reporters.

(Image: PTI/AP)