British PM’s special envoy meets with Taliban leaders

The UK is in direct talks with the Taliban over securing safe passage out of Afghanistan for UK nationals and Afghans who have worked for Britain, a government spokesperson said, Report informs referring to Reuters.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s special representative for Afghan transition, Simon Gass, traveled to Doha, Qatar, to meet with Taliban representatives, the spokesperson said in a statement.

“(Gass) is meeting with senior Taliban representatives to underline the importance of safe passage out of Afghanistan for British nationals, and those Afghans who have worked with us over the past twenty years,” the statement said.

The US completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan on Aug. 30, ending 20 years of war that culminated in the militant Taliban’s return to power.

Britain’s mission came to an end on Aug. 28, when its last military flight left Kabul after evacuating more than 15,000 people in the two weeks since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.