Dominic Raab has begun a two-day visit to Pakistan in an effort to secure safe passage for Britons and Afghans with ties to the UK who remain stuck in Afghanistan.
The foreign secretary insisted there was “common widespread surprise” – even among the Taliban – at the speed in which the militants took over the country.
Speaking in Islamabad, Mr Raab said: “I suspect the Taliban and ordinary Afghans were taken by surprise. I think there was a common widespread surprise at the speed with which the consolidation of power happened.”
Mr Raab is under pressure over a Foreign Office document from 22 July – issued weeks before his recent holiday in Crete – which suggested that the Taliban could advance rapidly across Afghanistan.
The foreign secretary also insisted that UK aid funding aimed at reaching people in Afghanistan will not go directly to the Taliban.
“We would be willing not to fund aid via the Taliban, but through the humanitarian organisations that operate inside Afghanistan – for that to happen there needs to be a safe and secure environment,” said Mr Raab.
The Foreign Office announced a £30m UK aid package for Afghan refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries – with £10m going to relief efforts co-ordinated by groups such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Countries predicted to experience a significant increase in refugees will also receive £20m to help with processing new arrivals and to provide essential services and supplies.
Mr Raab said Pakistan and the UK have a “shared interest” in creating a stable and peaceful future for Afghanistan – and spoke again about forming a coalition to act as a “moderating” force on the group.
He said it would not have been possible to evacuate 15,000 people from Kabul without some co-operation with the Taliban. “We do see the importance of being able to engage and having a direct line of communication,” he said.
The foreign secretary has said evacuations may be able to resume from Kabul airport “in the near future” as he expressed a need for direct engagement with the Taliban.
More than 8,000 former Afghan staff and their family members eligible under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) were among the 15,000-plus people evacuated by the UK since August 13.
But thousands of Afghans who helped British efforts in the nation and their relatives, as well as other vulnerable civilians, are feared to have been left behind.
As part of our Refugees Welcome campaign, The Independent has launched a petition urging the UK government to be more ambitious in its plans to take in Afghan refugees following the Taliban seizing power.
It comes as former cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill has warned that the UK and its allies still have no coherent plan to deal with the looming refugee crisis.
Sir Mark said the emergency airlift over the past two weeks “can’t and shouldn’t conceal that overall, we do not yet have a coherent policy and plan in place to deal with refugee flows out of Afghanistan”.
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that the end of the evacuation operation in Afghanistan was “only the beginning of a new stage of chaos”.
Justice secretary Robert Buckland said he was working to help more female judges in Afghanistan get out of the country. “So far we have managed to get nine female judges here to the UK,” he told Sky News on Friday.
Mr Buckland said: “A lot of these judges were responsible for administering the rule of law and quite rightly they are fearful for the consequences from the rise of the Taliban.”
The cabinet minister added: “I’m making sure that my officials are working hand in glove with the Foreign Office to identify as many as possible … and communicate with them to establish how to get safe passage for these very vulnerable people.”
But councils have said they have been “left in the dark” about how they can help, as thousands of Afghans evacuated to Britain in recent weeks are set to be placed in temporary hotel accommodation for an indefinite period.
Cllr David Touane, of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Many councils are ready to help but we are in the dark about what it is precisely that government wants us to provide.
