The British Chargé d’Affaires says there is no alternative to engaging with the Taliban
Hugo Shorter, the British Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan, who operates out of Doha, Qatar, stated at the end of his mission that there is no alternative to engaging with the Taliban. He noted that internal conflicts have deepened the humanitarian crisis and aided the resurgence of ISIS.
This comes as the issue of the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan, which led to the country’s fall to the Taliban, remains open and is still being debated.
Recently, the Defense Committee in the British House of Commons has called for a clear, honest, and detailed review of the UK’s military role in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of British forces in 2021, which resulted in the Taliban’s return to power.
Shorter emphasized that the UK’s priority in Afghanistan is to support aid for 28 million Afghans in need. Since April 2021, the UK has allocated over 600 million dollars in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, which, according to him, has reached millions of Afghans. Together with other assistance, this prevented a full-scale famine last winter, and efforts continue.