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      British ex-soldier stranded in Afghanistan plots escape with 400 workers and families

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      A former British solder is set to flee Afghanistan with hundreds of Afghans — including his own staff — by travelling through Taliban-controlled land.Ben Slater is reportedly planning to make his own way out of the country as he did not receive the necessary visas for air evacuation from the UK government.The 37-year-old, who used to work as a bodyguard to British ambassadors abroad, toldThe Telegraph he felt “massively let down” by the government.Thousands of British nationals and Afghan allies have been evacuated from Afghanistan since its fall to the Taliban earlier this month.The final members of UK military and diplomatic personnel left Kabul airport on Saturday night, ending the largest evacuation mission since the Second World War.Mr Slater, who used worked for the Royal Military Police, reportedly supported dozens of evacuations in the UK’s airlift programme.He asked officials to organise the evacuation of himself and Nomad Concepts Group staff but did not receive visas,The Telegraph reported.Mr Slater has now launched his own operation to leave Afghanistan by land, attempting to flee the country with 400 Afghan nationals including his 50 staff members, which are mainly women, according to the newspaper.He told The Telegraph it is set to be a “long trip”. “I am hoping on the other end that the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] have got our visas sorted, or at least have spoken to the foreign affairs ministry in our destination country to allow access for our vulnerable staff,” he added.Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, said the number of UK nationals still in the country was in the “low hundreds”.He was unable to give a “definitive” figure on how many Afghans the UK failed to airlift to safety after the Taliban seized power.The foreign secretary also said it would be a “challenge” for people trying to escape Afghanistan by fleeing to a border.Mr Raab told Sky News: “We are holding very squarely the Taliban to their explicit assurances – they have made them bilaterally to us, they have made them to other countries and we have now firmed this up with a UN security council resolution – that they must allow safe passage, not just for our nationals but for Afghans, particularly vulnerable ones, who wish to leave.”The FCDO has been approached for comment. More

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      Boris Johnson tells troops: ‘We’ll be forever grateful’ you kept UK safe from Afghan terror for two decades

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      Boris Johnson has told troops and veterans that Britain will be “forever grateful” and that it was not down to “chance or good fortune” that the UK had been safe from attacks launched from Afghanistan for 20 years.In an open letter, the Prime Minister said he had been “lost in admiration for the heroic efforts of everyone” involved in Operation Pitting, the evacuation efforts to remove UK nationals and Afghan allies from Kabul airport.Writing as the operation came to an end, with the last military and diplomatic personnel leaving Kabul on Saturday, Mr Johnson said: “There has been nothing like it in speed and scale, certainly in my lifetime.”And he recognised the downfall of Afghanistan to the Taliban after 20 years would have been difficult to comprehend.“Over the last two decades, many thousands of you dedicated years of your lives to service in Afghanistan, often in the most arduous conditions. In particular, I realise that this will be an especially difficult time for the friends and loved ones of the 457 service personnel who laid down their lives,” Mr Johnson said.But he repeated his message that their sacrifice was not in vain, and said: “Our purpose in Afghanistan was simple – to protect the United Kingdom from harm – and you succeeded in that central mission.“In the last 20 years, not a single terrorist attack has been launched from Afghan soil against the UK or any other Western country. I know this was not down to chance or good fortune.“Our country was protected because you joined with our allies to fight al Qaida, destroy its training camps, disperse or eliminate its leaders, and weaken its very core. I would not wish to contemplate what might have happened if you had not carried out this vital task.“You kept al Qaida from our door for two decades and we are all safer as a result.”And he highlighted the impact on the Afghan people too, whether through girls’ education, the clearing of landmines, or many homes having electricity for the first time.“I do not believe that any of these gains could swiftly be undone,” the PM said.“Education, once imparted, can never be taken away, and this progress would never have happened at all without your effort and sacrifice.“Whether you are still serving or a veteran, a loved-one, a relation or a friend, you all played your part and you should feel immense pride.”He added: “Do not lose sight of the essential fact that you fulfilled the first duty of the British Armed Forces – to protect our country – and we will be forever grateful that you did.” More

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      European allies alarmed by UK’s ‘de facto recognition’ of Myanmar junta with new envoy

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      Britain’s decision to appoint a new ambassador to Myanmar in July has alarmed European allies who fear the move will result in a de facto recognition of the military regime that seized power on 1 February.High-ranking diplomatic sources told The Independent that the UK has submitted credentials to the sanctioned junta, conceding to pressures from the Myanmar side to rewrite a request that had already been sent before the coup, when a civilian government was still in power.The letter of credentials for an ambassador-designate is normally addressed from one head of state to another, bringing with it an implicit mutual recognition despite not being an official acknowledgement of any particular government. The self-appointed prime minister of Myanmar, General Min Aung Hlaing, is known for having a soft spot for flashy official ceremonies. To avoid taking this formal step and granting a possible photo opportunity to the commander-in-chief, other western embassies have decided to nominate a lower ranking chargé d’affaires – a formality to signal an unwillingness to deal with the junta, while continuing diplomatic activity with a head of mission.Embassies which underwent a turnover of staff in the past months, such as Germany, Denmark and Finland, have all opted to nominate a chargé d’affaires and “could not comprehend the decision of the UK to step up the recognition of the military so far”, a senior diplomat in Yangon said. Other countries had been considering a similar move but there is now fear within the EU that the example set by Britain will push other countries to follow suit.Myanmar had been under military rule for over 50 years prior to a partial shift towards democracy in 2015, with the first free elections in decades won by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi. But six months ago the military returned, ousting the country’s elected leaders and quashing subsequent protests with violence, with victims including children and many of the generation Z that grew up under democratic rule. With the economy and health system on the verge of collapse, the country is now suffering a deadly wave of Covid-19.The UK has publicly condemned the decision of the military to seize power and reject the overwhelming electoral victory in November 2020 of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, whose civilian government had been in a strained power-sharing agreement with the generals since 2016.Britain has put pressure on the junta at the UN Security Council, calling for meetings to discuss the situation in Myanmar and consistently condemning the actions of the military, which has killed over 1,000 people since the coup and arrested thousands, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an NGO based in Thailand.Its latest decision comes just as a parallel National Unity Government (NUG), formed by the ousted lawmakers, is pushing to secure a place for its own ambassador at the United Nations. The parallel government was created through online meetings to challenge the military coup and support nationwide protests that highlighted the extent of the unpopularity of the junta. The current representative to the UN is Kyaw Moe Tun, who has expressed explicit support for the pro-democracy protests. Since then, two men have been arrested in the US for an alleged plot to kill him. “This is a crucial moment,” the diplomat in Yangon told The Independent. “In September it will be decided who will represent Myanmar at the UN and if the military wins, then it is the end for the NUG, they’ll just become a clandestine movement.“We Europeans really don’t understand why Britain went this far,” he added.A tweet by the new ambassador Pete Vowles announcing his appointment in July was followed by similar comments by Burmese citizens.“The people of Myanmar may be wondering who the new British ambassador to Myanmar will present his credentials to, if it’s the National Unity Government or the Myanmar military,” a Twitter user posted in July.The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office declined to comment on the issue when approached by The Independent.Vowles took up his appointment in Myanmar this month, according to the Foreign Office. He was previously Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office director for Asia, Caribbean and Overseas Territories, and held earlier posts in Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India.In April, while the UK was requesting credentials, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, was locked out of the embassy by pro-junta staff after expressing support for the protest movement, and then substituted by a new ambassador. The Foreign Office acknowledged the receipt of a communication by the junta announcing the appointment of a chargé d’affaires at the helm of the Myanmar embassy to the UK. More

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      China sanctions British MPs in response to criticism of Uighur treatment

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      Boris Johnson has condemned China’s sanctions against outspoken MPs and other British citizens, saying: “I stand firmly with them.”Beijing is punishing critics, including former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, in a tit-for-tat retaliation for UK sanctions over Beijing’s treatment of Uighur Muslims.In response, the prime minister tweeted: “The MPs and other British citizens sanctioned by China today are performing a vital role shining a light on the gross human rights violations being perpetrated against Uighur Muslims.“Freedom to speak out in opposition to abuse is fundamental and I stand firmly with them.” Mr Duncan Smith, one of the leading China critics on the Tory benches, said he would wear the sanctions “as a badge of honour”.Read more:And another, Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, branded Beijing’s move “a direct assault on British democracy”. Also on the list are fellow Tory MPs Neil O’Brien, Tim Loughton and Nusrat Ghani, Labour peer Helena Kennedy, Liberal Democrat peer David Alton, the China Research Group of MPs, Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, Uighur Tribunal, and Essex Court Chambers.In a statement on behalf of the CRG, Mr Tugendhat and Mr O’Brien said the “profoundly sinister” move could potentially affect 100 MPs involved with the Group.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday“It is tempting to laugh off this measure as a diplomatic tantrum,” they said. “But in reality it is profoundly sinister and just serves as a clear demonstration of many of the concerns we have been raising about the direction of China under Xi Jinping. “It is telling that China now responds to even moderate criticism with sanctions, rather than attempting to defend its actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.”While the MPs said they would not personally be “hugely” affected by the sanctions, they voiced concern that Beijing’s aim was to make others feel threatened and to have a “chilling effect” on businesses which might make decisions based on China’s human rights record.They pointed to retailers like H&M and Nike which have faced a backlash in China after expressing concerns over allegations of the use of forced Uighur labour in cotton production.Mr O’Brien issued a string of tweets highlighting allegations of forced sterilisation and rape of Uighur women, mass internment of members of the Muslim minority and the use of AI face-recognition technology for surveillance.“The first ever sanctions against MPs by Beijing are a big deal and demonstrate exactly the concerns we have been raising,” said Mr O’Brien. “But ultimately, this isn’t about us, it’s about them trying to distract from human rights abuses reminiscent of South Africa under apartheid.”Ms Ghani said: “I won’t be intimidated or silenced and neither must the government. I will use my freedom to raise the plight of the Uighurs and I will take this sanction as a badge of honour.”And Lord Alton said: “The Chinese Communist Party assumes that trading with a state credibly accused of genocide will be more important to the UK than defending the values we cherish. They are fundamentally mistaken.“The imposition of tit-for-tat sanctions is a crude attempt to silence criticism. But the CCP needs to learn that you can’t silence the whole world and that the first duty of a parliamentarian is to use their voice on behalf of those whose voices have been silenced.”At a news conference at the Chinese embassy in London, a spokesman condemned “fabricated reports” about the country’s treatment of people in the Xinjiang region.The action taken – with reports of one million people detained without trial and widespread claims of torture and rape in the camps – “can’t be defined by a few satellite images”, he insisted. Britain, the US, Canada and the European Union slapped sanctions on Chinese officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, in a coordinated action on Monday.In retaliation, “the Chinese side decides to sanction nine individuals and four entities on the UK side that maliciously spread lies and disinformation,” a statement said.“As of today, the individuals concerned and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China, their property in China will be frozen, and Chinese citizens and institutions will be prohibited from doing business with them. China reserves the right to take further measures,” the statement said. The Chinese Embassy spokesman claimed “lies of the century” were being spread about what was going on in Xinjiang and criticised the UK’s deployment of sanctions.“Human rights in Xinjiang cannot be defined by a few satellite images, fake reports cobbled together by people thousands of miles away,” he said. But Mr Tugendhat said he had been “elected to speak for the people”, adding: “I view this as a direct assault on British democracy and an attempt to silence the people the British people have chosen to speak for them.”The chair of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament offered “full solidarity with Tom and all his colleagues”.“Banning leading Western parliamentarians from entering the country for asking critical questions won’t do mutual understanding any good,” Norbert Rottgen tweeted.Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy blasted the sanctions as “a blatant attempt to silence British parliamentarians who are shining a spotlight on the appalling persecution of the Uighur people”.And Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Layla Moran voiced “full solidarity” with those named, adding:   “Targeting backbench MPs instead of ministers makes clear this is about China’s disdain for democracy around the world.” More

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      UK failure to impose sanctions on China over Uighurs ‘painful and hurtful’

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      The British government’s failure to include Chinese officials in the latest round of its “Magnitsky Sanctions” on human rights abuses has been described as “painful and hurtful” by a leading Uighur activist.  The UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions, announced on Thursday, World Human Rights Day, targeted officials from Venezuela, Russia, The Gambia, and Pakistan. Those named, said foreign secretary Dominic Raab, faced asset freezes and travel bans, adding: “Global Britain will stand up for democracy, human rights and the rule of law as a force for good in the world.”  But there were no sanctions against the Beijing government over mass abuse in Xinjiang, where up to 1 million Uighur Muslims have been sent to prison camps and the community subjected to draconian laws with religious and cultural practices suppressed.Rahima Mahmut, the UK project director at the World Uighur Congress and an advisor at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said that Britain’s lack of action was the legacy of David Cameron’s government, which turned a blind eye to Beijing’s malpractice in the hope of ushering in a “golden era” of trade.  She said the lack of sanctions was “really painful, really hurtful…  The transition cannot come so quickly when the previous government believed in that ‘Golden Era’, in golden opportunities.” Speaking at an event organised by the US embassy in London to mark World Human Rights Day,  Ms Mahmut continued that the UK will take action against Beijing over the abuse in the future. But in the meantime, she wanted to stress “my people are getting murdered, getting raped, getting forcibly sterilised. The young are being particularly targeted. We have a mountain of evidence on all this now”.  Luke de Pulford, a fellow of Hong Kong Watch, and a commissioner for the Conservative Party’s Hunan Rights Commission, pointed out that the US has imposed sanctions on Chinese officials, and made the evidence behind it available to the British government.    Mr De Pulford had himself, he said, placed an additional dossier of evidence over the abuse of the Uighurs in front of the British government.  Nathan Law, a prominent pro-democracy activist and former student leader in Hong Kong, said the UK’s decision could not have been based on lack of evidence. “If it’s about evidence, then the Xinjiang officials should have long been sanctioned. This is a political decision”, he said.  Mr Law held that the British government was attempting to use the threat of sanctions to get concessions from Beijing, predicting that the strategy would fail.  He said: “I really think this is about this UK hedging strategy and I hope it will come to an end.  They have expressed a lot of different messages of being strong and tough towards China. The policy can be used as a leverage in terms of other interaction. [But] there is nothing to expect from China and there is no fantasy to be had about the Chinese communist party and the nature of the Chinese government’s policies.”  The US administration has imposed sanctions on 14 senior Chinese officials this week for their role in “developing, adopting, or implementing” the punitive National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong. “These individuals and their immediate family members will be barred from traveling to the United States. Their assets within the jurisdiction of the United States or in the possession or control of US persons will be blocked and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them”,  said the state department .  The Foreign Ministry in Beijing responded:  “The Chinese government and people express strong indignation to and strongly condemn the outrageous, unscrupulous, crazy and vile act of the US side”. It accused the US of “severely violating basic norms governing international relations”.  More