Top British, US diplomats speak by phone on developments in Afghanistan

ANKARA

The top British and US diplomats discussed the rapidly developing situation in Afghanistan in a phone call Monday.

“Useful discussion with Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken on Afghanistan. Our immediate priority is ensuring the safety of our nationals & those who supported our work over the last 20 years,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Twitter.

“We also discussed the need for international coordination to prevent Afghanistan being used as a base for terrorist groups, and a wider approach to ease the plight of the Afghan people,” he added.

In a separate phone call with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Raab thanked him for “Qatar’s commitment to the Afghanistan peace process.”

“The Taliban pledged in the Doha Agreement to engage in talks in good faith, but their actions have so far betrayed that promise. They must be held to account,” he said in a tweet, referring to Qatari-hosted talks on Afghanistan.

Following dizzying advances across Afghanistan, the Taliban entered the capital Kabul on Sunday, taking control of the country for the first time in almost 20 years.

With the collapse of the government, the focus has turned to the safety of civilians and evacuees as well as Afghanistan’s future under the Taliban.