With the Taliban refusing to negotiate over the August 31st withdrawal date, the US and the UK now have just 9 days to evacuate all its military and civilian personnel before risking open conflict. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace appeared in a broadcast clip this morning to offer a frank assessment of the situation:
“It’s really important for people to understand that the United States has over 6000 people in Kabul airport and when they withdraw […] we will have to go as well. I don’t think there is any likelihood of staying on after the United States […] we are really down to hours now, not weeks, and we have to make sure we exploit every minute to get people out.”
Wallace also made it clear that “not everyone will get out”, which is a far cry from Biden’s unwavering optimism…
