Johnson announces end to UK military mission in Afghanistan
Speaking in the Commons, Johnson said “all British troops assigned to Nato’s mission in Afghanistan are now returning home”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the end of Britain's military mission in Afghanistan following a hasty and secretive exit of the last remaining troops 20 years after the post 9/11 invasion that started the "war on terror".
Johnson confirmed to MPs that the intervention, which claimed the lives of 457 British soldiers, would end even as the insurgent Taliban were rapidly gaining territory in rural areas, as UK, US and other forces withdrew, reports the Guardian.
Speaking in the Commons, Johnson said "all British troops assigned to Nato's mission in Afghanistan are now returning home".
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While he would not disclose the exact timetable of the departure for security reasons, the UK PM added: "I can tell the house that most of our personnel have already left."
In a separate defence briefing the head of the armed forces, Sir Nick Carter, acknowledged that recent news from Afghanistan had been "pretty grim" but said the Afghan military had been regrouping to defend urban areas.
