British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that the G7 had agreed to an action plan for the Taliban, with their number one condition being that the militants must allow willing Afghans to leave the country unhindered even after the August 31 deadline. This was reported by Reuters.
“What we did today as G7, we … agreed not only on a common approach to dealing with the issue of evacuation but also on a road map of how we are going to engage with the Taliban. The number one condition that we put as a G7 is that they have to guarantee until August 31 and beyond a safe exit for those who want to leave,” Johnson said.
Johnson also said that the “enormous leverage” the G7 could use regarding the Taliban after they seized control of the country just over a week ago included maintaining significant funds.
“What we are saying is that Afghanistan cannot become a hotbed of terror again, Afghanistan cannot become a drug-state, girls must be educated until they are 18,” he said.
The question of whether other G7 leaders expressed disappointment with U.S. President Joe Biden over his handling of the crisis and his refusal to continue the deadline for U.S. troops in Afghanistan Johnson sidestepped.
“Let’s find out that the immediate phase of the evacuation is really … a very significant success for the military. We are confident that we can pull thousands more. But the situation at the airport is not improving. These are excruciating scenes for those trying to get out,” he said.
