Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

"If You Ask Me...": UK's Boris Johnson "Apprehensive" About Afghanistan Future

"If You Ask Me...": UK's Boris Johnson "Apprehensive" About Afghanistan Future

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped "the blood and treasure" spent by Britain has not been in vain. More than 400 British troops died in action in Afghanistan.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said he was "apprehensive" about the future of Afghanistan as the US announced that its withdrawal from the country was now more than 90 percent complete.

"If you ask me if I feel happy about the current situation in Afghanistan, of course I don't," he told MPs.

"I'm apprehensive, the situation is fraught with risks. We must hope the parties in Kabul can come together to reach an agreement," he added.

The Taliban launched a major assault on Qala-i-Naw in Afghanistan's northwestern Badghis province on Wednesday. The attack by the Islamist group has been seen as an escalation of its assault on the west of the country after the US military began its final drawdown of troops.

Johnson said he hoped "the blood and treasure spent by this country over decades in protecting the people of Afghanistan has not been in vain and the legacy of their efforts is protected."

More than 400 British troops died in action in Afghanistan after the country joined the coalition intervention in 2001.

In 2014 the British mission in the country shifted from a combat operation to one focused on supporting Afghan national forces, with the conflict costing the country around 40 billion ($55 billion, 46.7 billion euros).

"The people of Afghanistan have been the beneficiaries of decades of UK support and investment, we've done our level best to help the stability, security and peace of that country," said Johnson.

"It has been a huge, huge commitment. "

The prime minister said his government will do as much "as we possibly can with our American friends" to encourage peace, and that he would make a statement in parliament on Thursday.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood later called for a formal inquiry into the decades-long conflict.

"Two decades after 9/11 we are now abandoning the country to the very insurgent organisation that we went in to defeat in the first place," he wrote on Twitter.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×