Afghanistan: Final UK troops leave Kabul
The final UK troops, diplomats and officials have left Kabul, Downing Street has confirmed.
The departure of the RAF flight brings to an end the UK’s 20-year military involvement in Afghanistan.
More than 15,000 people have been evacuated by the UK since 14 August.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the moment was a chance to reflect on the achievements of recent weeks – and the last two decades, such as girls’ education and weakening al-Qaeda.
In a letter to the armed forces community, Mr Johnson acknowledged the fall of Kabul to the Taliban will have been hard for them to watch.
He added it would be “an especially difficult time for the friends and loved ones of the 457 service personnel who laid down their lives” during the war.
The prime minister said the UK’s involvement in Afghanistan “kept al-Qaeda from our door for two decades and we are all safer as a result”.
“Whether you are still serving or a veteran, a loved-one, a relation or a friend, you all played your part and you should feel immense pride,” he said.
No 10 said the number of people evacuated included around 2,200 children, with the youngest just one day old.
Around 5,000 British nationals and their families were airlifted, alongside more than 8,000 Afghan former UK staff and their families and those considered at risk from the Taliban.
Downing Street said the evacuation included the Royal Air Force’s single biggest capacity flight ever, with 436 people carried on a C-17 aircraft.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace addressed returning troops, saying: “Every one of you [has] displayed the highest levels of professionalism and bravery. You have helped thousands to get to a better future and safety.”
The mass airlift known as Operation Pitting has been under way since the Taliban took control of the capital, with a deadline of 31 August in place for foreign troops to leave the country.
Mr Wallace previously said he believed between 800 and 1,100 eligible Afghans would be left behind, along with around 100 to 150 Britons – although he said some of those were staying willingly.
In a tweet Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to “our brave armed forces and diplomatic staff”, writing the country owed them a “great debt of gratitude”.
But he said the government must urgently set out a plan for those “tragically left behind”.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK was ready to consider sanctions against the militants – but this would “depend on the choices the Taliban make on key issues” – including on enabling safe passage out of the country.
Agencies