Connect with us

Published

on

The UK is sending military personnel to help evacuate Britons from Afghanistan as the security situation in the country rapidly deteriorates.

The move was authorised by the defence secretary on Thursday morning.

The US has also announced that it is deploying some 3,000 additional troops to help the departure of its embassy staff. The American embassy will remain open, although personnel will be reduced to a “core diplomatic presence”.

Since the western troops left Afghanistan, the Taliban has been slowly making gains and is nearing the capital, Kabul
Image:
Since the western troops left Afghanistan, the Taliban has been slowly making gains and is nearing the capital, Kabul

The Taliban have captured Herat – Afghanistan’s third-largest city, and US intelligence has warned Kabul could fall within 90 days.

The capture of Herat marks the biggest prize yet for the Taliban, which has now taken 11 of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals.

In a hastily arranged briefing with journalists, Ben Wallace said 600 troops will be sent to Kabul on a “short-term basis” in response to the increasing violence across the country. They are expected to arrive in the coming days.

“I have authorised the deployment of additional military personnel to support the diplomatic presence in Kabul, assist British nationals to leave the country and support the relocation of former Afghan staff who risked their lives serving alongside us,” said Mr Wallace.

More on Afghanistan

The Taliban's advance has meant the group has taken control of Ghazni, in the east
Image:
The Taliban’s advance has meant the group has taken control of Ghazni, in the east
As of 10 August, the government had lost control of the majority of regions, as the Taliban looks to advance on Kabul, the capital
Image:
As of 10 August, the government had lost control of the majority of regions, as the Taliban looks to advance on Kabul, the capital
Map shows Taliban gains in Afghanistan
Image:
The Taliban has made significant gains in Afghanistan

“The security of British nationals, British military personnel and former Afghan staff is our first priority. We must do everything we can to ensure their safety.”

The Ministry of Defence has characterised the move as part of the ongoing withdrawal of NATO forces, but in reality it is an unplanned emergency response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan as the Taliban rampage across the country.

The British soldiers will also assist with the acceleration of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The Taliban have posted videos of its soldiers in cities such as Kandahar, Herat and Ghazni as they continue to retake territory.

“This will help to make sure interpreters and other Afghan staff who risked their lives working alongside UK forces in Afghanistan can relocate to the UK as soon as possible,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The number of staff working at the British Embassy in Kabul has also been significantly reduced to a “core group”, the government has announced – the remaining staff will focus on consular help to anyone wanting to leave the country.

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker.

The British ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir Laurie Bristow, will remain in Kabul but will relocate to a more secure location.

Continue Reading

World

Somalia truck bombing kills 15 people and wounds 40 others

Published

on

By

Somalia truck bombing kills 15 people and wounds 40 others

A bombing at a checkpoint in Somalia has killed at least 15 people and wounded 40 others, authorities have said.

Images on social media showed a damaged truck cab on fire and black smoke billowing from the scene in the central city of Beledweyne.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility, including Al Shabaab, which often carries out attacks and controls parts of Somalia.

Police officer Ahmed Aden said the dead included five police officers who fired on the truck in a failed attempt to stop it from ramming into the nearby checkpoint.

Shops nearby were reduced to rubble, with reports of people missing beneath the debris.

It was a truck loaded with explosive devices that forcefully passed through the government-manned checkpoint, and a pick-up vehicle belonging to security personnel was chasing it when it exploded,” said witness Abdikadir Arba, who said he was about 200 metres away and was one of the first responders.

Abdifatah Mohamed Yusuf, director-general of the Hirshabelle Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, confirmed the deaths.

More on Somalia

“Twenty of the wounded have been admitted to Beledweyne hospitals, while another 20 are in critical condition, prompting a request for their airlift to Mogadishu for advanced medical treatment,” he said.

Read more on Sky News:
Somalia is fighting a battle on all fronts
At least 20 killed in hotel attack
Locust swarms risk food crisis

Hirshabelle is a state that includes Beledweyne. It has been the centre of the Somali government’s latest military offensive against extremists from Al Shabaab.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Al Shabaab has been battling Somalia’s central government for more than a decade, aiming to establish its rule based on strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Continue Reading

World

Fugitive on run for more than 30 years laughs as he’s finally caught

Published

on

By

Fugitive on run for more than 30 years laughs as he's finally caught

A fugitive convicted of attempted murder who evaded police for more than 30 years has been caught.

Greg Lawson, who had been on the run for 32 years, laughed and asked officers “how are you doing?” as he was handcuffed in Huatulco, Mexico.

Lawson, 63, fled Louisiana, in the US, just before a jury found him guilty of shooting a man called Seth Garlington in 1991 – sparking an FBI manhunt in May that year.

In a video shared by FBI News Orelans on X, formerly known as Twitter, Lawson is seen wearing a short-sleeve shirt and camouflage cap.

With police officers in escort, he patted someone on the shoulder while laughing, before another officer turned to handcuff him.

Douglas Williams Jr, the agent in charge of FBI New Orleans, said the capture would not have been possible without the help of authorities in Mexico.

“We want to thank our partners and the public in this case, who never gave up hope that justice could be served for Mr Lawson’s victim,” he said.

“There is no doubt that Mr Lawson might still be in the wind if our partners in Mexico had not been willing to deal with this so swiftly.”

The FBI said they had always suspected Lawson was hiding out in Mexico, but a “tip” they received earlier this month appeared to confirm their theory.

Read more:
Murderer who escaped prison by ‘crab-walking’ up wall caught
Man fleeing Venezuela faces goodbye to pet squirrel after 3,000-mile journey

He was arrested on Tuesday, 19 September, and was taken into custody back in Louisiana.

According to a local Louisiana news channel, KTBS, Lawson had a “fistfight” with Mr Garlington in a car park at a petrol station.

Court documents, they added, claim Lawson forced Mr Garlington’s vehicle off the motorway, with Lawson then firing shots.

When the jury came back from deliberation to confirm the guilty verdict, Lawson had already run away.

The FBI had offered a $10,000 (£8,200) reward for his capture.

Continue Reading

World

Sweden: Chunk of motorway collapses in landslide – leaving three in hospital

Published

on

By

Sweden: Chunk of motorway collapses in landslide - leaving three in hospital

Three people have been taken to hospital after a large chunk of a motorway in Sweden collapsed in a landslide early on Saturday morning.

Police said at least four cars and a bus skidded off the E6 motorway – connecting Gothenburg in Sweden to Norway’s capital Oslo – near the small town of Stenungsund.

Several buildings were also damaged, including a Burger King restaurant.

The landslide has affected a total area of around 700 x 200 metres, which is roughly equivalent of 21 football pitches.

“The hardest hit parts of the landslide area measure around 150 x 100 metres,” the Gothenburg Rescue Services added in a statement.

“A number of people have been helped out of vehicles in the slide area with the help of fire personnel and a helicopter.”

The motorway was badly damaged. Pic: Adam Ihse/TT News Agency via AP
Image:
The motorway was badly damaged. Pic: Adam Ihse/TT News Agency via AP

The cause of the landslide is not yet clear. Pic: Adam Ihse/TT News Agency via AP
Image:
The cause of the landslide is not yet clear. Pic: Adam Ihse/TT News Agency via AP

Rescue services say further landslides cannot be ruled out.

Police say nobody is suspected of a crime, but an investigation has been launched into whether a construction site nearby caused the landslide.

More on Sweden

Rescue services were on the scene in the early hours. Pic: Björn Larsson Rosvall/TT News Agency via AP
Image:
Rescue services were on the scene in the early hours. Pic: Björn Larsson Rosvall/TT News Agency via AP

There has also been heavy rainfall in the area over the past few days.

Swedish news agency TT reported several cars and one truck had fallen into cracks caused by the landslide, while rescue services told public broadcaster SVT all people have been helped out.

Specially trained dogs were on the scene to ensure no people had been overlooked among the debris.

Continue Reading

Trending