LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Thursday that most British troops have left Afghanistan, almost 20 years after the U.K. and other Western countries sent troops into the country to engage in what they described as a “war on terror.”
Johnson stressed that the threat posed by al-Qaida to the U.K. has substantially diminished, but he sidestepped questions about whether the hasty military exodus by his country and its NATO allies risks undoing the work of nearly two decades or leaves Afghanistan vulnerable to the Taliban, who have made rapid advances in many northern districts.
The prime minister declined to give details about the troop withdrawal, citing security reasons. But he said that “all British troops assigned to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan are now returning home,” adding that “most of our personnel have already left.”
Most U.S. and European troops have also pulled out in recent weeks.
“We must be realistic about our ability alone to influence the course of events. It will take combined efforts of many nations, including Afghanistan’s neighbors, to help the Afghan people to build their future,” Johnson said. “But the threat that brought us to Afghanistan in the first place has been greatly diminished by the valor and by the sacrifice of the armed forces of Britain and many other countries.”
He stressed that Britain remains committed to helping achieve a peace settlement in Afghanistan through diplomacy.
“We are not walking away. We are keeping our embassy in Kabul, and we will continue to work with our friends and allies, particularly with the government of Pakistan, to try to bring a settlement,” Johnson said.
Britain will continue to fund education, especially girls’ schooling, in Afghanistan, he said. The U.K. will also back the Afghan government with over 100 million pounds ($138 million) in development aid this year, as well as 58 million pounds for the Afghan security forces.
A total of 150,000 British servicemembers have served in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, and 457 have died — a much higher death rate compared to the U.K. involvement in Iraq.