UK Will Ensure Safe Passage For Those Who Want To Leave Afghanistan: Foreign Secretary

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday met with the evacuees from Afghanistan who are being hosted by Qatar and said that the UK will continue working with their partners in response to the humanitarian plight and ensure safe passage for those who want to leave the war-torn country.

"Today I met evacuees from Afghanistan who are being hosted by our Qatari friends. The UK has already committed 286 million Pound Sterling of life-saving aid & will continue working with our partners in response to the humanitarian plight and ensure safe passage for those who want to leave," Mr Raab tweeted.

On Thursday morning, Mr Raab arrived in Qatar to discuss the Afghanistan situation with Qatar Foreign Minister in Doha.

The UK foreign secretary had earlier said there was a need to engage with the Taliban on Afghanistan, but the United Kingdom had no immediate plans to recognise its government, Al Jazeera reported.

Mr Raab said that the UK will not recognise the Taliban "any time in the foreseeable future", adding that he will judge the group by its actions, not by words.

Meanwhile, Qatar has been working with the Taliban to reopen Kabul airport "as soon as possible", Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, adding that the Gulf state was also seeking technical assistance from Turkey, Al Jazeera reported.

The situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating since the Taliban seized control of the country. On August 15, the Afghan government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the country and Kabul fell to the Taliban.