Afghanistan crisis: Boris Johnson prepares to announce ‘on-demand’ Afghan resettlement plan as Scottish National Party calls for four-nation summit

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The move could see the UK government act on calls from activists to international leaders to respond to the refugee crisis likely to come after the Taliban take over Afghanistan.

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai – who was shot by the extremist group in 2012 after angering them with her campaign to educate girls – has become the latest high-profile figure to press all countries to open their borders to Afghan refugees amid the Taliban. renewed.

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Number 10 said the prime minister will provide more information about the resettlement plan in the coming days, with the plan expected to focus on helping Afghans most in need, especially women and girls.

Afghans board a plane while waiting at Kabul Airport in Kabul. Photo: Agent Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images

The push comes as the Scottish National Party has called for a four-nation summit with the UK government to discuss refugee resettlement amid the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.

The number of British armed forces in Afghanistan will be boosted to 900 as pressure intensifies to remove British and selected Afghan nationals from the country since the Taliban captured Kabul.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The UK team in Afghanistan is working around the clock in extremely challenging circumstances to help British nationals and as many others as possible reach safety as quickly as possible.

“At the same time, we are bringing the international community together to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan – it is in everyone’s interest not to let Afghanistan fail.

British military personnel before boarding an RAF Voyager RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as part of a 600-strong British force sent to help rescue British nationals in Afghanistan, is pictured on Sunday

“This means giving whatever support we can to the Afghan people who have worked so hard to make the country a better place for the past 20 years and who now need our help.”

Officials said Johnson was instigating high-level international discussions about the unfolding crisis, including using the UK’s G7 presidency to call a virtual meeting in “the coming days”.

Number 10 said he wanted the G7 leaders to focus on ensuring that Afghanistan never again became a source of international terrorist threats.

There will also be an effort to secure support for the people of Afghanistan, including through increased humanitarian assistance and agreement on expectations for any government that appears in Afghanistan.

Downing Street wants the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – which, along with the UK, includes the US, China, France and Russia – to gather following Monday’s full meeting.

Following the Prime Minister’s phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he raised the possibility of a G7 meeting, the UK and France are expected to work together on a joint UN Security Council resolution.

The Scottish Greens, separately, have called on the Scottish government to use its emergency humanitarian fund to help fleeing Afghans leaving the country as the Taliban continues to advance.

Soldiers from the militia entered Kabul on Sunday, after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani reportedly fled the country for Uzbekistan.

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Describing the continued collapse of the regime at the hands of the Taliban as “one of the greatest foreign policy failures” of the modern era, Ian Blackford, leader of the Scottish National Party, attacked the Conservative Party.

Earlier on Monday, calling on the UK government to work with mandated countries to open up safe resettlement routes for those fleeing the country, Mr Blackford said the country should take in more refugees as the crisis escalated.

He said: “The horrific situation in Afghanistan is one of the greatest foreign policy failures of modern times – and the UK government bears its share of responsibility.

“Scotland is ready to play its full part in resettling refugees and addressing the humanitarian crisis. It is critical that the UK government works with delegated governments and shows leadership, including by opening our doors and providing safe routes for resettlement.

“Canada has already committed to resettling more than 20,000 Afghans at risk, including women leaders, human rights workers and reporters. There is no doubt that the UK must also commit to leadership of this magnitude.

“The Tory government’s cuts to international aid must be reversed and the UK must play a leading role in funding and supporting humanitarian efforts to save lives, promote peace and protect human rights, particularly those relating to women and girls, with a specific fund earmarked for the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

“The immediate priority must be to do everything we can to protect lives, but in due course there must also be an opportunity to review how the UK’s involvement in Afghanistan has gone so very wrong. The UK government must commit to a future judge-led investigation into the war. in Afghanistan to ensure full scrutiny, accountability and lessons learned.”

The comments came as the Scottish Green Party called for funds to help those fleeing the war-torn country.

In 2016, the Humanitarian Emergency Fund was set up to help reduce life-threatening risk, and in February it recently provided £340,000 to support vulnerable people affected by conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

In October last year, Save the Children received £100,000 to help those affected by severe floods in Niger, and £300,000 was made available following the explosion in Beirut in September last year.

In a letter to Angus Robertston, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maggie Chapman and Ross Greer, said the SNP government should do “everything in its power”.

Chapman said: “The images and stories from Afghanistan are heartbreaking. We must open our hearts and our doors to those in need of safety, and the Scottish Green Party supports the UK government’s first minister’s call that more refugees should be accepted.

“It is clear that the Scottish government must do everything in its power to help these people who are fleeing for their lives.”

A Scottish government spokesman said: “We are extremely concerned about the risk to civilian lives.

“We urgently call on the UK government and the international community to urgently consider how to protect civilians, especially women and girls and those seeking asylum. We are in discussions with our humanitarian partners on what more can be done to support those in need.”

“As we have done with refugees from Syria, the Scottish Government stands ready to play our full part and do everything we can to help those at risk.”

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