Evacuations may be able to resume from Kabul airport “in the near future”, the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has said as he expressed a need for direct engagement with the Taliban.
Speaking after talks in Qatar on Thursday, Raab raised hopes that the Britons and Afghans left behind may be able to leave on flights from Afghanistan’s capital.
Raab, under intense criticism at home from opposition politicians and sections of the Ministry of Defence, said the UK would not be recognising the Taliban any time soon, but added the UK had to be pragmatic and realistic if it wished to relay messages to the new regime. “There is important scope for engagement and dialogue,” he said.
He said he had “good conversations” with the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, about the “workability” of evacuations resuming from the airport for UK nationals and Afghans who worked with Britain.
“I don’t think we’re yet able to say anything formal but that’s looking like it may happen at some point in the near future,” he told broadcasters.
His remarks come as UK government officials discuss the extent of their potential future cooperation with the Taliban, and whether in the medium term that could extend to aiding the militant group in fighting Islamic State in Afghanistan. There are fears that a contested Afghanistan between the two groups would end up as a magnet for foreign fighters and further instability.
For the moment the UK is focusing on short-term tests to see if the Taliban will cooperate, including the reopening of Kabul international airport, which is critical for the provision of safe passage for those that want to leave the country and for the flow of humanitarian aid. The Afghan economy, already suffering a drought, is now facing high inflation.
Raab said the UK would judge the Taliban on their deeds and not their words, and urged the regime to form an inclusive government with minorities and women. He added: “We all want to avoid a humanitarian disaster and that requires a permissive environment.”
Raab’s visit follows criticism that he had not been in touch with key regional figures over the Afghan crisis, especially those neighbouring countries that may now be asked to host or act as a transit point for those that want to leave Afghanistan for Europe, the UK and the US. The UK has transferred its Kabul embassy to Doha, with the work being shared between Dr Martin Longden, the stand-in ambassador, and Sir Simon Gass, the prime minister’s special envoy for Afghanistan transition.
Raab is due to travel to Pakistan later, somewhat echoing a tour already taken by the German foreign minister, Heiko Maas.
Qatar has taken nearly 40% of the refugees that have so far left the country, and has been confirmed as the diplomatic pivot point for Afghanistan. It has housed a Taliban negotiating team in Doha for more than three years.
The Qatari foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, confirmed Qatar had a technical team in Kabul discussing with the Taliban how the airport could be reopened for international flights, possibly with the help of Turkey. He said survey work was under way to identify any gaps, adding “we are still in the evaluation process” and “there is no agreement yet”.
Al Thani spoke with the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, on Wednesday and there are reports that domestic flights may resume on Friday. No new Taliban government has yet been formed, and there are conflicting signals whether the promise of a moderate Taliban will be translated into reality outside Kabul.
Raab said: “Now, of course, we need to adjust to the new reality and our immediate priority is to secure the safe passage of those remaining British nationals but also the Afghans who worked for the United Kingdom and indeed others who may be at most risk.”
He said the UK did feel a responsibility to those who wanted to come to the UK and did not directly answer how he was handling a group of contractors trapped in Afghanistan who used to work for the currently closed British embassy in Kabul.
