U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister John Johnson spoke on the situation in Afghanistan on August 17, local time, and both sides agreed to hold an online video conference of G7 leaders next week to discuss common strategies for dealing with the situation.
The White House said in a statement Wednesday that the two leaders discussed the need for “continued close coordination between allies and democratic partners on future Afghanistan policy, including ways for the international community to provide more humanitarian assistance and support to refugees and other vulnerable Afghans.” ”
The day before, Mr Johnson had set a common position on the situation in Afghanistan in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, saying he “intends to host an online meeting of G7 leaders in the next few days,” according to RFI. On the evening of the 16th, German and French leaders made a televised speech on the situation in Afghanistan, informing their respective countries to send military aircraft and soldiers to Afghanistan to assist in the withdrawal.
The withdrawal comes amid concerns about the withdrawal of afghan Taliban in the country’s capital, Kabul. The United States and Western allies resumed the evacuation of diplomats and civilians on the 16th. However, foreign media reported that the U.S. military fired warning shots at the overcrowded Kabul airport, and the chaos has killed several Afghans.
In April, The Democratic incumbent, Joe Biden, said he had decided to “stick to the withdrawal agreement reached by former Republican President Donald Trump and complete the withdrawal by September 11, 2021,” though the Afghan government’s rapid collapse and the ensuing chaos have drawn widespread criticism among domestic and U.S. allies.
“While many of President Biden’s allies believe that it was the right decision to eventually pull out of a war that the United States cannot win, they also acknowledge that he made a series of major mistakes in carrying out the withdrawal,” the New York Times said in an article published Thursday. ”
A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson’s call with Mr Biden on the 17th “emphasized the need not to lose the gains made in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, while protecting us from any emerging terrorist threat and continuing to support the Afghan people”.
