Dominic Raab, British Foreign Secretary, said that the UK could participate in future military operations in Afghanistan.
Raab stated that the UK is entitled to exercise lawful self defense, especially in cases involving terrorist groups.
Although he acknowledged that there were intelligence failures in Afghanistan, he said that the UK is not solely responsible.
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Dominic Raab, UK foreign secretary, stated Tuesday that the UK might get involved in future operations against Afghanistan.
Raab stated that the UK would not "get ahead" of itself, but did not rule out future military intervention in the area.
Raab stated, "I don’t believe it makes sense to speculate on future operation decisions like this," during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
Raab stated, via The Guardian, "What I would like to say is of course in extremis, that we always reserve and would never exclude the right to exercise lawful defense, especially in relation to terrorist groups."
British forces formed part of an armed military alliance that sought to locate the leaders of Al Qaeda following the September 11th attacks. According to the British Army, more than 100,000 British soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan over the past 20 years. Over the past two decades, 457 soldiers from the UK have been killed in Afghanistan, while 405 others were killed in hostile combat.
Raab, speaking to BBC Radio 4, admitted intelligence failures in the unfolding of the Afghan crisis. He also stated that the BBC Radio 4 assessment was "clearly incorrect." Raab also pointed out that there are still British citizens in Afghanistan. The tally is somewhere "in the lower hundreds."
On August 28, the last British flight from Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport was evacuated. This marked the end of the UK’s involvement in Afghanistan. According to the BBC, more than 15,000 people including 2,200 children have been evacuated out of Afghanistan since August 14.
Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, said last week that he would "shift Heaven and Earth" to assist the Afghan people left behind by the UK in Afghanistan. However Ben Wallace, the UK Defense Secretary, acknowledged that not everyone will be able escape in time.
