Vast bulk of UK citizens to come home from Afghanistan in days, says Boris Johnson

Lily Waddell14 August 2021

Boris Johnson has confirmed the “vast bulk” of UK embassy staff will come home from Afghanistan in the next few days.

It comes as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan’s second largest city Kandahar as the US and UK prepare to send in troops to help with evacuations.

As the news landed, the Prime Minister called an emergency Cobra meeting on Friday about Afghanistan.

In the meeting, Mr Johnson confirmed: “In the course of the next few days we will see the vast bulk of UK embassy staff, officials, come back, and step up our efforts to bring back those Afghans who have helped us, the UK, international forces, throughout the last 20 years.

“To help them, we’re sending out another team of Home Office officials to help them with their applications and get them out.”

He added: “We are appealing to those who have association with the UK who want to come out now to come forward and identify themselves.”

Mr Johnson said he was extremely proud of Britain and thanked the efforts of the UK armed forces.

"The UK can be extremely proud of what has been done in Afghanistan over the last 20 years," he said.

He added: "Thanks to the efforts of the UK armed services, all the sacrifices they made, we have seen no al Qaeda attacks against the West for a very long time... and there are millions of girls and young women who have been educated in Afghanistan."

The news comes after it was announced six hundred of military personnel will be deployed to Afghanistan to help evacuate British nationals as the security situation deteriorates.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace authorised the deployment of troops to Kabul on a “short-term basis.”

“I have authorised the deployment of additional military personnel to support the diplomatic presence in Kabul, assist British nationals to leave the country and support the relocation of former Afghan staff who risked their lives serving alongside us,” Mr Wallace said in a statement.

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