UK begins withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, stressing the importance of working with partners to preserve the progress made over the last 20 years of foreign intervention in the country.

"I hope that no one will jump to the false conclusion that this will mean the end of Britain's commitment to Afghanistan," Johnson said in response to fears that the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country could lead to a return of the Taliban regime.

He is not the only president to reaffirm his support for the Afghan government. On 25 June, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the leader of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah, went to the White House to meet with Joe Biden. The US president declared that, despite the military withdrawal, the Afghanistan-US alliance will endure.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has also assured that the Atlantic Alliance will continue to support Afghanistan after its military withdrawal. In particular, NATO will maintain a civilian mission, provide financial support to Afghan security forces and consider training Afghan forces at training centres outside the country, as well as supporting key infrastructure such as Kabul International Airport.

The British Prime Minister attributes the absence of terrorist attacks on the scale of 9/11 to the intervention of the United States and its allies, such as the UK, in Afghanistan. He therefore believes that the UK can be "proud" to have been "part of those efforts from the beginning". He recalled that during these 20 years of intervention in Afghanistan, 150,000 members of the British Armed Forces have served on Afghan soil, mainly in the province of Helmand, which since 2006 has been the "focus" of the British operation.

The prime minister considered that the intervention is ending "in stalemate" due to the rapid advance of the insurgents in recent weeks, coinciding with the withdrawal of foreign troops. In recent weeks, the Taliban have carried out numerous offensives that have resulted in the conquest of several districts, especially on the outskirts, gradually encircling the capital, Kabul.

At present, the government in Kabul controls only 74 out of 407 districts with a population of about 11 million. The Taliban, in the space of a few weeks, have regained much territory, now controlling 200 districts, home to 12 million people. The remaining districts are at war, divided between the two forces. These offensives are taking place during the course of peace negotiations.

As a result of the escalating conflict, Ashraf Ghani's government took the controversial decision in late June to arm nearly 30,000 civilians to assist the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces (ANSF) in preventing the Taliban's advance. These developments call into question the purpose of the peace talks, as both sides try to reach a consensus on what the nation should be, while on the ground tensions and the death toll are rising.

In line with Joe Biden's troop withdrawal plan, which ends on 11 September 2021, Johnson stated that 'all British troops assigned to the NATO mission in Afghanistan will now return home', and that 'for obvious reasons' specific details of when this return would take place would not be released, although he did confirm that 'the majority of British personnel have already left'.

Support, albeit non-military, from international allies is vital to the Afghan government at this time. Following the US decision to withdraw its troops, Turkey offered to administer Kabul airport in order to ensure its security. The security of Hamid Karzai International Airport is key to the operations of diplomatic missions outside Afghanistan after the withdrawal.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin held a "constructive and positive meeting" on 7 July to discuss a plan for Turkey to operate and secure Kabul airport after NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

Ankara has offered to manage and guard the airport after NATO's withdrawal and has been in talks with allies, namely the US, about financial, political and logistical support. Airport security is key to the operations of diplomatic missions outside Afghanistan after the withdrawal.

The Pentagon said in a statement carried by Reuters that Austin and Akar discussed the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and both "reaffirmed the importance of adequate security" at the airport. It said the two agreed to talk again in the near future.