The days of excitement and wonder have passed, Western leaders, and European leaders in particular, want to be active. After the capture of Kabul by the Taliban, Boris Johnson decided to shorten the parliamentary recess and convene the House of Commons on August 18.
The stated aim of the British Prime Minister is to provide a “united response” to the situation and, in particular, to the terrorist threat. Therefore, he wants an international reaction “to prevent Afghanistan from becoming fertile ground” for groups like Al Qaeda and Daesh.
Therefore, the exceptional meeting could be followed by an announcement on the subject. Emmanuel Macron, in his speech on August 16, already spoke of several “joint initiatives” to be taken with Boris Johnson. The French president then called for peaceful cooperation between Russia, the United States and Europe.
the guardian He further explains that Ben Wallace, the British Defense Minister, had evoked the idea of maintaining a NATO military presence without the United States, but the project was never really discussed. Despite intelligence reports indicating that the Afghan security forces could be quickly defeated, the UK followed the US decision.
It remains to be seen what plan the British and their allies will consider to fight terrorism in Afghanistan. If the military option is not chosen, diplomacy with the Taliban will potentially continue to exist. Potentially, the latter could be persuaded to avoid the arrival of terrorist groups in order to avoid being totally isolated on the international stage. A question that could be answered on August 18 in the British Parliament.
