The British are pleading with the Biden administration to extend the American presence in Afghanistan so that evacuations can be completed, with government ministers saying they cannot finish the job alone.
Britain’s Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey MP, says the United States “has effectively taken over the full operation” at Kabul airport, and that “the period of time it would take to get in place a replacement force is not realistic” — meaning the British would be unable to continue evacuations in the absence of American logistics.
British prime minister Boris Johnson is set to beg President Biden to extend the American presence in Kabul beyond August 31st at an emergency meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) nations today, with the 78-year-old Democrat reportedly willing to discuss an extending the deadline but warning that “our hope is we will not have to”.
Even if Biden were willing to consider allowing some extra time for his botched withdrawal to be completed semi-adequately, however, the British now fear that the Taliban wield an effective veto over the Western presence in Afghanistan.
“Even though they are the seven most powerful people on the planet they don’t get to take that decision in isolation,” said Heappey, in reference to the leaders of the G7.
“The Taliban get a vote as well and that’s why we’re continuing to work towards the 31st. Even if the political will in London, Washington, Paris, Berlin is for an extension, the Taliban may say no,” the minister told LBC radio — a humiliating position for some of the world’s great powers to find themselves in versus an ill-equipped force of mostly “country boy” militiamen.
According to The Times, the Taliban is indeed unwilling the countenance an extension of the August 31st deadline for Western forces to get out of their newly-declared Islamic Emirate — moreover, The Times says that the Islamists claim “no Western government or leader” has even approached them with such a request up to now.