UK-Germany seek common G7 approach on Taliban

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the situation in Afghanistan on Saturday and agreed on the need for international aid and a common approach by the G7 to the future government of Afghanistan.

"The Prime Minister and Chancellor resolved to work, alongside the rest of the G7, to put in place the roadmap on dealing with any new Afghan government discussed at last week's leaders' meeting," Johnson's office said in a statement.

"The Prime Minister stressed that any recognition and engagement with the Taliban must be conditional on them allowing safe passage for those who want to leave the country and respecting human rights," the British statement added.

British troops left Kabul on Saturday, ending the U.K.'s evacuation operation and its 20-year military involvement in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the "heroic" evacuation effort, even as the government acknowledged some eligible Afghan civilians had been left behind. The U.K.'s top military officer conceded that "we haven't been able to bring everybody out."

The U.K. government said late Saturday that about 1,000 troops who ran an airlift of British nationals and Afghan civilians had departed from Kabul airport, hours after the final evacuation flight for civilians. Most countries apart from the United States had already left.

Before departing, Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, said from Kabul airport that it was "time to close this phase of the operation now." "But we haven't forgotten the people who still need to leave," Bristow said in a video posted on Twitter.