Britain opens talks with Taliban to bring home those left in Afghanistan

Britain has opened talks with the Taliban about safeguarding the exit of Afghan and British citizens left in Afghanistan, The Times can disclose.

Sir Simon Gass, the prime minister’s special representative for Afghan transition, has held discussions with the group’s representatives in Doha.

It is the first British engagement with the Taliban in the wake of the West’s withdrawal as the UK attempts to secure the safe passage of thousands of Afghans who may be eligible to come to this country.   

Last night it was reported that before the British embassy in Kabul was evacuated, intelligence officers attached to the mission held meetings with the Taliban to confirm that Afghanistan would not be used as a base to launch terrorist attacks on the West.

It also emerged that MI6’s chief met Pakistan’s army chief last week and discussed the situation in Afghanistan.

Boris Johnson had previously told the Taliban they must co-operate with the West’s efforts to help people to leave if they wanted billions of dollars in assets to be unfrozen.

The Foreign Office is sending 15 staff to countries surrounding Afghanistan to help those who make it out.

As many as 9,000 vulnerable Afghans are thought to have been left behind. Those identified for evacuation received an email from the Foreign Office on Sunday. It said: “The UK evacuation operation has now ended. We are sorry if, as we think, you were not able to reach the evacuation point. If you were approved for evacuation, you will be supported if you wish to relocate to the United Kingdom.”

The Foreign Office hopes to find “practical solutions” to help people to cross land borders even when they have no visa for entry into neighbouring countries, including providing documentation to make clear that evacuees are guaranteed entry to Britain.

An Afghan government official and a British mother are among those appealing to the UK for help leaving as the US continues evacuation missions overland.

Fatima, a mother of three from north London, was caught up in the suicide attacks at Kabul airport. Ahmad, a former Afghan government official who was employed by the defence ministry and also at the presidential palace, worked on teams that signed dozens of Taliban jail sentences and death warrants. He said he has been forced to hide beneath a burqa and change location every day.

 “I have a travel authority document from the UK and was asked to come to the airport gate on Thursday,” he said. “The Taliban guards said they had instructions from the US not to allow anyone through who did not have a visa stamp in their passport or a foreign passport. I didn’t have those things. They said, ‘Either you go back or we’ll shoot you.’ ”

Ahmad said he had sent emails to British officials pleading for help but had no response. “I want the UK government to clearly state it will honour its promise to those with evacuation notices,” he said. “The most important thing is my children. They become like ghosts, they are so afraid.”

Fatima, a British citizen who went to Kabul in July to help her family, was caught out by the speed of the Taliban’s victory. She is also trying to evacuate her disabled brother but has had no response from officials.

After four days of trying to contact British authorities she went to the airport and walked straight into the carnage of the suicide bomb. “I saw him blow himself up right in front of my eyes,” she said.

With the evacuation flights over, she fears she and her brother will have to travel via Pakistan, Iran or Tajikistan.

The US authorities have provided those eligible to travel back to America with detailed instructions on safely travelling to border crossings. They are also carrying out last-ditch missions to rescue Afghans at risk.

According to emails seen by The Times, the directions to travellers include deleting mobile phone history of any conversations in English, keeping passports hidden and hiding valuables.

Last night The Daily Telegraph reported that British government insiders had defended the effort to engage the Taliban in direct talks on preventing terrorist attacks from Afghanistan, as the UK tries to work out its diplomatic strategy with Afghanistan’s new leaders. MI6 has not commented on the claim that its officers were involved.

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An unnamed senior government source said: “There’s a strategy of ‘we’ve got to work out how to engage with them’. We have to judge them on their actions, not their words.”

It also emerged that Richard Moore, MI6’s chief, met General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, last week. Their talks focused on the formation of a new government by the Taliban after the US withdrawal, the military’s media wing said.

“During the meeting . . . intelligence/defence collaboration between both countries and overall regional security, with special emphasis on post-US withdrawal in Afghanistan came under discussion,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said. “Pakistan is willing to do whatever is possible to help Afghanistan achieve an inclusive settlement which is vital for regional peace and prosperity.”