United Kingdom advises its citizens to leave Afghanistan due to terror threat

United Kingdom advises its citizens to leave Afghanistan due to terror threat

The UK on Wednesday warned its citizens in Afghanistan and called on all British nationals in the country to leave by commercial means.

British government advised against all but essential travel to provinces and to an enhanced security zone in Kabul, and the Hamid Karzai International Airport, the UK government’s website noted.

Reason behind the urge to leave Afghanistan is security.

“The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to: the whole of Afghanistan based on security reasons”, the statement read.

“The FCDO advises British nationals in Afghanistan to consider leaving by commercial means, in view of the likely heightened security risks.

“This change in the level of advice follows public statements by the Taliban which may increase the possibility of attacks after 1 May. The security situation will remain uncertain, with the possibility of heightened threats,” the statement added.

As the level of consular assistance in the British Embassy is low, FCDO urged British nationals to leave urgently.

“There are limits to the assistance the FCDO can provide in a crisis, depending on the security and transport situation. You should not assume that the FCDO will be able to provide assistance to leave the country” the statement said.

This comes before NATO member countries are set to discuss troops withdrawal from Afghanistan at a summit in Brussels on June 14,

The meeting will pave the path for Biden to rebuild relations with European leaders and Canada that was strained under the former US President Donald Trump.

Jens Stoltenberg in a statement on Thursday said, that “this is a unique opportunity to reinforce NATO as the enduring embodiment of the bond between Europe and North America”.

This meeting will be focusing on security “challenges of today and tomorrow: Russia’s aggressive actions, the threat of terrorism, cyber-attacks, emerging and disruptive technologies, the security impact of climate change, and the rise of China”, the statement noted.

Both of the statements are released as the US and NATO-led troops are preparing to leave Afghanistan by September 11th, 2021.

Source: Khaama Press