Dominic Raab
Since 2001, the Britain with the US and other Nato allies prevented Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorist attacks. UK aid has helped 10 million Afghan children into school (including many girls) and we’ve helped reduce the rate of mothers dying in childbirth or pregnancy by 40 per cent. We are now focused on making sure that those gains – from the blood, sweat and tears of so many of our Armed Forces – are not lost.
The immediate priority has been to secure safe passage out of Afghanistan of British nationals and those Afghans who face persecution because they worked for us. This began months ago. In April, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office advised all British nationals to leave the country, and an estimated 500 did so on commercial flights. The Government launched the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) in April to help those Afghans who worked for the UK. Between April and Aug 15 we supported more than 1,900 people to leave Afghanistan under this scheme – the most generous of its kind in the world.
When the situation deteriorated, commercial flights from Kabul were suspended. So, on Aug 16, backed by UK paratroopers on the ground, we began one of the most challenging airlifts of modern times on chartered flights out of Kabul. Since then, we have brought out 1,372 British nationals and their dependants, 3,866 former interpreters and others under the Arap scheme, 1,167 nationals from other countries, and 226 eligible people including British Embassy guards and contractors. Since April, we have supported and secured the safe passage of more than 8,500 people.
The Home Secretary has announced the Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme, under which we will welcome up to 5,000 vulnerable Afghans over the next year, and up to 20,000 over four years. We will work with the UN to facilitate that process.
Beyond the evacuation, it is vital to focus the international community on longer-term objectives. Our priorities are clear. Afghanistan must never again be used as a base for terrorist attacks. We will have to address the looming humanitarian crisis in the country, which would also threaten regional stability, and we must strive to secure a more inclusive Afghan government that can maintain stability and avoid the kind of rights abuses that the Taliban have committed before, particularly against women.
We will use all the levers at our disposal, including sanctions, aid and access to international finance systems, and we are rallying our international partners around these shared priorities.
Last week, I convened a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers and discussed the issues with Nato foreign ministers. Today, the Prime Minister is convening the G7 leaders to galvanise the international community into action. We are also broadening the range of countries involved.
We are pressing the permanent members of the UN Security Council to agree parameters on the way forward. We are working with vital regional partners like India and Pakistan. And there must also be a key role for the UN here, including the Secretary-general’s Special Envoy, Jean Arnault. We are pursuing these strategic priorities, using all means at our disposal, to protect the gains of the past 20 years, and stand with the Afghan people, supporting their aspiration for a better life.