UK Edition
Priti Patel has urged European countries to give sanctuary to Afghans fleeing the Taliban as she announced that Britain would grant asylum to 20,000 refugees.
The Home Secretary's call, in an exclusive article for The Telegraph, comes amid fears in Europe that the number of Afghans seeking to flee the Taliban could lead to a new migrant crisis across the Continent.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, warned of “irregular migratory flows” from Afghanistan as he said France, Germany and other EU countries were working on a coordinated response.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, backed proposals for refugees fleeing Afghanistan to be cared for in neighbouring countries, adding: “Then we can think about, as a second step, whether especially affected people can be brought to Europe in a controlled way.”
Greece said it was not prepared to be the entry point for a new wave of Afghans fleeing to Europe.
Writing in The Telegraph, Ms Patel said the UK would re-home 5,000 Afghan migrants in the first year and 20,000 in the long term, prioritising women and girls and religious and other minorities who face "tyranny and oppression" under the Taliban regime.
Britain 'can't do this alone'
But she said Britain could not act alone: “The UK is also doing all it can to encourage other countries to help. Not only do we want to lead by example, we cannot do this alone.”
She said Boris Johnson had spoken to the French and German governments, while she led talks with the “Five Eyes” nations of the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on "issues such as resettlement and migration".
“The UK Government will always stand by those who have had the lights switched off on their liberties,” said Ms Patel.
“I want to ensure that as a nation we do everything possible to provide support to the most vulnerable fleeing Afghanistan so they can start a new life in safety in the UK, away from the tyranny and oppression they face in Afghanistan.”
Evacuations with Taliban permission
It came as thousands of Afghans spent a second day trying to flee at Kabul's airport. Although it is guarded by UK and US troops, Britain's military chief in charge of the evacuation conceded Western forces were reliant on the permission of the Taliban to operate.
Vice Admiral Ben Key said the Taliban "are the providers of security now” and that they are “allowing us” to operate on the ground.
The new Taliban leaders held their first public appearance in which they claimed women would not be persecuted and that Afghans who had worked with the UK and US would not be targeted for retribution.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said on women’s rights: “We are committed to letting women work in accordance with the principles of Islam."
It also emerged that the Taliban now has access to cache of weapons and military equipment given to the now-defunct Afghan national army by US and British forces.
While Boris Johnson has been in close communication with his European counterparts, the White House admitted that until Tuesday evening the US president had not spoken to any other world leader since Kabul fell under Taliban control, adding to mounting frustration over the US president's handling of the crisis from his allies.
That changed when Joe Biden talked to Mr Johnson at close to 10pm UK time on Tuesday. A Downing Street spokesman said the pair agreed to "work closely" on getting their citizens and staff out of Afghanistan as well as acting to avoid a "humanitarian crisis".
Critics have suggested Mr Biden has returned to the “America First” attitude of Donald Trump. A senior Cabinet minister said his approach was “fundamentally” the same as the isolationist stance taken by his predecessor, adding that it “should worry us all in the broadest sense.”
Afghan resettlement scheme
The UK’s new Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme follows pledges by Canada to take 20,000 refugees and Germany's plans to evacuate 10,000 Afghans who have worked with the German military or NGOs.
The scheme will operate like the Syrian resettlement scheme set up by the Home Office in 2015 and which was targeted at women with children, people with serious medical conditions and survivors of torture.
They were identified by the UNHCR refugee agency, after fleeing Syria to Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. They were then screened by the Home Office before being resettled in the UK. Sources said the latest crisis would be complex because of the difficulty for Afghans to get to countries from which to be resettled.
Ms Patel pledged Britain “can and must” act, as she said the scheme met the aims of the Government’s new immigration plan by offering safe and legal routes for those most in need, while toughening border controls against illegal migrants.
“We must have a system which prioritises the most in need so they can make their home here and be supported to integrate and thrive,” she said.
She also pledged that there would be no compromise on national security and public safety. “Anyone arriving here – through any of the schemes – will have to pass the same strict security checks conducted by our police and intelligence partners,” she said.
It emerged Tuesday that a “small number” of applicants for the resettlement scheme for Afghan employees of UK agencies had been blocked on national security grounds. The new route comes on top of the "Arap" scheme, which has already resettled 3,300 Afghans in the UK and is expected to rise to 5,000.
Johnson to face criticism over Kabul shambles
Mr Johnson will on Wednesday deliver a statement to the House of Commons, unusually recalled during the summer recess for a one-day debate, about the situation in Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister will face a wave of criticism from both Labour and Tory MPs about the handling of the evacuation and misjudged predictions about the Taliban surge.
Mr Johnson is expected to repeat his recent public comments that British soldiers’ lives were not lost “in vain” in Afghanistan, given the safety the campaign brought to UK streets.
On Tuesday night, he said: “The best solution for everyone is an Afghanistan that works for all Afghans. That means the international community coming together to set firm, political conditions for the country’s future governance.
“And it means focusing our efforts on increasing the resilience of the wider region to prevent a humanitarian emergency.”
Scores of MPs are expected to attend the Commons in person to make statements about the Afghan debacle, with social distancing rules now no longer in place in Parliament.
BBC pulls out staff
As well as talking to Ms Merkel, Mr Johnson also spoke to Imran Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, as he pushed for a united international position on how to engage with the Taliban.
It emerged on Tuesday that the BBC had begun pulling out some Afghans working for the corporation in the country.
In a message to all staff, Tim Davie, the director general, and Fran Unsworth, the director of news and current affairs, said: "We want to assure you that we’re doing everything we can to secure the safety of our teams."