London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain would work with the Taliban if necessary after the militants capture of Afghanistan.
“What I want to assure people is that our political and diplomatic efforts to find a solution for Afghanistan, working with the Taliban, of course if necessary, will go on,” Johnson told media.
Asked if he still had confidence in Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who has faced calls for his resignation from opponents for his response to the crisis, he said: “Absolutely”.
Raab had earlier defended his decision not to call his Afghan counterpart over evacuating translators who had helped UK forces.
Raab said he prioritised “security” at Kabul airport and “delegated” the call to a junior minister.
But that call did not happen due to the “rapidly deteriorating situation” in Afghanistan, he added.
On Thursday, it was reported that Raab had been advised by senior Foreign Office officials last week that he should make contact with Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar to request urgent assistance in rescuing interpreters.
Officials said it was important the call was made by Raab rather than a junior minister, but they were told he was unavailable.
