UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied British soldiers killed in Afghanistan died in vain, even as the country's troops began deploying for an evacuation mission.
He was speaking as Taliban fighters swept through Afghanistan to close in on the capital, Kabul, and full control of the country.
The insurgents captured Pul-i-Alam in Logar province on Friday, bringing them within 60km of Kabul's southern city limits
The original Nato campaign in Afghanistan was launched after the 9/11 2001 attacks. These were planned from Afghanistan by Al Qaeda, when the Taliban was running the country.
Mr Johnson said that after two decades it was not “realistic” to expect outside powers to impose a “combat solution” – as the Taliban appear to be imposing its military solution.
“There isn't a military solution. Thanks to the efforts of the UK armed services and all the sacrifices they made we have seen no Al Qaeda attacks against the West for a very long time.
“I think we have got to be realistic about the power of the UK or any power to impose a military solution – a combat solution – in Afghanistan.
“What we certainly can do is work with all our partners in the region around the world who share an interest with us in preventing Afghanistan once again becoming a breeding ground for terror.”
In the Taliban victories over the last week, large areas of Helmand province, where hundreds of UK troops have died, were seized. Provincial capital Lashkar Gah was reported to have fallen on Friday.
Across Afghanistan, 454 UK military personnel were killed in the Nato campaign.
“I don't think that it was in vain. If you look back at what has happened over the last 20 years there was a massive effort to deal with a particular problem that everybody will remember after 9/11,” Mr Johnson said.
“That was successful. To a very large extent the threat from Al Qaeda on the streets of our capital, around the UK, around the whole of the West was greatly, greatly reduced.
“I believe it was right, it was worth it and what we must do now is not turn our backs on Afghanistan.
The first British troops have deployed on an evacuation to remove the remaining British nationals from Afghanistan.
Germany has reduced its embassy staffing to the “absolute minimum,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.
The first forces of a US Marine Corps battalion are also in Kabul to stand guard as evacuation flights are speeded up.
Canada is also sending forces to help its staff leave Kabul.
About 600 members of British 16 Air Assault Brigade are being sent to Kabul as part of Operation Pitting.
The number of staff working at the British embassy in Kabul has been reduced to a core team.
Troops will provide force protection and logistical support for the relocation of British citizens and assist with speeding up the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.
This will ensure interpreters and other Afghan staff who worked alongside UK forces in Afghanistan can relocate to the UK as soon as possible, the Foreign Office hopes.
“Protecting British nationals and ensuring their safety as they leave Afghanistan is our top priority,” said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
“Over the next few weeks, we shall all do our very best to support the Afghan government and those that have worked with us over 20 years.”
Mr Wallace added that he was not ruling out future military action.
“I’m going to leave every option open. If the Taliban have a message from last time, you start hosting Al Qaeda, you start attacking the West or countries, we could be back,” he said.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
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THE%20SPECS
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
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On sale: now
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
