Seyran Baroyan/AFP via Getty ImagesA cache of secret British military papers was found at a bus stop south of England. It revealed plans for a controversial warship voyage off Crimea last Wednesday and a long presence in Afghanistan.According to the BBC, the 50 pages of documents were discovered in a wet heap at the Kent bus stop on Tuesday morning.Some papers can be classified as sensitive but are not classified at an extremely high level. However, the one concerning Britain's future plans for Afghanistan was marked Secret UK Eyes Only and addressed to Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary.BBC reports that the paper contains highly sensitive recommendations regarding the U.K.'s military footprint in Afghanistan following NATO's implementation of U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to withdraw all troops by September 11.BBC reported that the document addresses a request by the United States for British assistance in a number of specific areas and asks whether British special forces will be left in Afghanistan after the withdrawal.Although no Britons were killed in Afghanistan since Washington made a deal in February 2020 with Taliban, the paper said that it was unlikely that the status quo will be maintained.According to the BBC, the papers also included defense staffs' planning for the passage of HMS Defender (a British navy destroyer) through the disputed waters off the Crimean coast.Moscow's claims that a Russian ship fired warning shots and a jet dropped bombs on the path of the destroyers were denied by the U.K government.According to papers at the bus stop, British officials rejected an option that would have avoided the contested waters entirely. They claimed Russia would use this as evidence of the UK running away/scared.BBC spoke with a spokesperson for the ministry. This routine includes analysis of all factors that could affect operational decisions.A spokesperson stated that an employee reported the loss sensitive defense papers to him, and added: It would not be appropriate to comment further.
