Afghans who want to escape to Britain could also be more happy “trying to urge to the border” than awaiting RAF evacuation, the defence secretary has said as British troops made last-ditch attempts to airlift a minimum of 1,500 remaining interpreters et al. who have supported the united kingdom .
Ben Wallace, during a briefing to MPs, signalled there have been few places left on British rescue flights, which have evacuated quite 11,000 people from Kabul since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan but fortnight ago.
An evacuation control checkpoint at Hamid Karzai international airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday.
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More than 80,000 people are airlifted by western forces, with the US saying on Wednesday that planes were beginning almost every half hour from the capital’s airport. In 24 hours, 19,000 people were flown out on 90 planes as a part of an operation that would surpass the 1975 evacuation of Saigon to become the most important airlift in history.
It came as UK defence sources voiced growing concerns about the “high risk of a terrorist attack”, particularly a bombing by the group Isis-K, an Islamic State-affiliated group. Extra security measures, including concrete barriers, are installed round the evacuation processing centre by the airport.
On Wednesday night the ministry warned people to not visit the airport, saying: “There is an ongoing and high threat of surprise attack . don’t visit Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you’re within the area of the airport, move away to a secure location and await further advice.”
In a sometimes fraught online meeting with MPs, Wallace was questioned about what Afghans who are offered student places or fellowships within the UK should do. “If they think they will make it to a 3rd country, which will be a far better option,” he said.
Pressed by the Conservative backbencher Julian Lewis, Wallace added: “I recommend that they struggle and make it to the border … because it’s higher profile getting to the airport – that’s where the Taliban are going to be focusing their efforts at the instant .” There was no suggestion that Afghans who are told by western officials to visit the airport for evacuation should alter that plan, however.
UK evacuation efforts are now targeting the interpreters et al. who worked for British government, and who have the proper to resettlement under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap). “The number of Arap people we still need to get out is about 1,500,” Wallace said, down 500 from earlier within the day.
Defence sources said late on Wednesday that the very fact Wallace had suggested Afghans seeking to return to the united kingdom should attend third countries was “not a message of despair” which schemes like that to resettle translators et al. would remain open as long as required .
There is another unspecified group of “special cases” – human rights activists, judges, LGBTQ+ advocates et al. placed on an inventory by the ministry – hoping to urge out, plus alittle number of single-nationality Britons.
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A total of 11,474 people are evacuated by the RAF since the autumn of Kabul. The US has set a departure deadline of 31 August but western forces believe they have to go away several days earlier.
Turkey, which had at one point been in talks with the Taliban about staying on in Kabul, said on Wednesday it had begun to withdraw a number of its several hundred-strong force before the ultimate deadline at the top of the month.
Wallace declined to offer a particular time for the UK’s final evacuation flight amid speculation that it could happen on Thursday. Defence sources said on Tuesday night that there would be as little as 24 to 36 hours to permit British military to close up .
“What we don’t want to try to to is trigger a surge or a stampede and we’ve already seen variety of individuals killed,” the defence secretary told MPs. He added: “I can’t offer you a particular time. It isn’t long, it’s a very difficult position we’re in.”
Earlier in the week the US tried to comply with extend the 31 August deadline it had negotiated with the Taliban over holding Kabul airport. But Afghanistan’s new rulers declined the request, prompting fears within the UK et al. that thousands of individuals could remain trapped.
People unable to urge out via the airport will need to attempt to cross the border to neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Iran. the united kingdom hopes to line up “third country” processing centres for those with resettlement or asylum claims but it’s unclear how this may add practice.
British soldiers guarding the Baron hotel, where the UK’s diplomatic and immigration staff are based, have had to show people away who have yet to be involved a flight or aren’t deemed eligible for one among the UK’s resettlement schemes.