Kabul: the end of the British exit

Britain’s evacuation efforts in Afghanistan have come to an end, a day after deadly blasts at Kabul airport killed at least 170 people.
 
A final 1,000 people are thought to have boarded a flight to the UK today – bringing the total number of British evacuations to 15,000; 8000 of which have been Afghan nationals. 
 
UK troops are still to be evacuated. But no more people will be called forward to go to the airport, according to the Ministry of Defence. 
 
“The sad fact is not every single one will get out,” Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, admitted today. 
 
Of those eligible, an estimated 1,100 Afghan interpreters will be left behind alongside up to 150 British nationals, some of whom wanted to stay.
 
According to Wallace, Thursday’s attack didn’t impact the timeframe for ending Britain’s evacuation mission. But he has warned that the likelihood of further attacks at the airport will increase as Western troops start to depart. 
 
France, Spain, Germany and Australia have all ended their rescue flights as well, and the US – which has evacuated over 100,000 people so far – will be halting operations on Tuesday at the latest. 
 
What, then, will be the fate of those who have failed to flee?
 
One big concern is that Afghans left behind who worked alongside western diplomats and troops will face harsh repercussions from the Taliban. 
 
A report in the Times today has intensified these fears: the intrepid war correspondent Anthony Lord entered the British embassy in Kabul, which has now been seized by the Taliban, and found documents left scattered on the ground containing contact details of Afghans working for the UK as well as CVs of locals applying for jobs. The Foreign Office is insisting that “every effort” was made to destroy sensitive material when embassy staff were forced to evacuate. 
 
There is no shortage of heart-breaking reports from those who feel abandoned. An English language trainer who worked for the British Council has told the BBC that he applied for the UK’s Afghan relocation scheme since he works directly for the British government but never heard back. One of his colleagues was shot earlier this week. He and dozens of his colleagues feel they have “been left to die by the UK government.” 
 
This morning, Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative MP who served in Afghanistan, congratulated the military on their “amazing job.” But, he added, his “shame for those we’ve left behind to be hunted by the Taliban is growing.” Tugendhat’s own interpreter was unable to get out of the country in time. 
 
Wallace has confirmed that the UK’s Afghan relocation scheme will remain open “indefinitely” if those eligible for it are able to reach another country where the UK can process their applications. 
 
In recent days, more than 100,000 people have gathered in the heat at the Spin Boldak-Chaman land border in southern Afghanistan, desperate to cross into Pakistan. Around 15,000 to 20,000 people are thought to be successfully making it across daily. 
 
But finding a way out of the country by land is no easy task. 
 
Pakistan has already announced that it will not accept Afghan refugees and is building a border between the two nations. What’s more, the journey to reach the border is dangerous; many of the roads leading to the Spin Boldak-Chaman crossing have been destroyed by mines and the security checkpoints are now all controlled by the Taliban. Desperation will mean many more Afghans taking the risk. 

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Caitlin Allen,
Reaction Reporter