Topline
British troops will soon complete their evacuation mission to Kabul's airport, U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Friday. This decision comes just one day after terrorist attacks on the airport that left at least 72 Afghans dead and 13 U.S soldiers wounded.
People board a Royal Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III military transport plane... [+] carrying Afghan evacuees and arriving at Al-Maktoum International Airport, United Arab Emirates. AFP via Getty Images
The Key Facts
Sky News' Wallace said that British authorities had closed their main processing centre for evacuees at the Baron Hotel, Kabul Airport, at 4.30 AM BST (8:00 AM local time). According to the minister, no additional people will be required for evacuation. There are currently approximately 1,000 people on the airfield at this time. Wallace said that the British mission would continue to find some people in the crowds, but that they will not be able to evacuate everyone. He also stated that he had agreed to relax restrictions on the number passengers that could be taken on the last flights out of Kabul. Wallace didn't confirm whether the approximately 1,000 British troops at the airport would remain in Kabul after the August 31 deadline was set by the U.S.
Important Background
Hours after the terrorist attack on Kabul's airport left at least 72 Afghan civilians dead, the decision to stop the evacuation was made. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack. Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, condemned Thursday's barbaric terror attack in a statement. He also stated that the U.K. will continue its evacuation mission to Afghanistan as planned. According to the U.S. Central Command, they are alert for any additional attacks by the Islamic State-affiliated group. This includes possible rocket attacks and car bombs directed at the airport. The U.S. and its allied countries are in a race for their withdrawal from Afghanistan within the August 31 deadline. Kabul's airport has been witness to chaotic scenes over the past two weeks, as many foreigners and Afghan nationals seek flight out of Afghanistan after the Taliban take control.
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Afghanistan: UK evacuates into the 'final hours', with no further people (Sky News).
