Afghanistan-Taliban crisis: G7 Leaders’ to convene emergency meeting virtually

An emergency meeting of the G7 Leaders’ will be convened virtually on August 24, 2021, by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is also representing the G7’s current presidency, to urgently deliberate on the situation in Afghanistan and coordinate a response to the Taliban crisis in the war-torn country.

UK PM Johnson in a tweet said that it is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and support the Afghan people to secure gains of the last 20 years.

US President Joe Biden will also join virtually in the meeting of G7 Leaders’ Meet on August 24, 2021, stated White House Press Secretary in a statement. The US has deployed troops temporarily till August 31, 2021, to execute the evacuation of US nationals and Afghans who have assisted the US government.

I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan. It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 22, 2021

Emergency meeting of the G7 Leaders: Afghanistan on Agenda

•The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will virtually convene an emergency meeting of the G7 Leaders’ to:

(i) discuss the ongoing Afghanistan crisis and coordinate an action plan for the evacuations,

(ii) discuss the Afghanistan policy to provide humanitarian assistance and offer support to Afghan refugees,

(iii) safeguard vulnerable Afghans who have assisted the governments of the member countries.

Also read: Afghanistan: 12.2 million people acutely food insecure, says UN

Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis: Background

•The Taliban on August 15, 2021, seized Afghanistan’s capital Kabul. Since the withdrawal of the US army, the Taliban almost captured all major cities in Afghanistan within 10 days. As of now, the Taliban control approximately a fifth of the total 400 districts in Afghanistan.

•Thousands of Afghans are relentlessly trying to flee Kabul. On August 22, 2021, amid the continuous evacuation drills by countries across the world, the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid informed that the Taliban will soon be announcing a new government in Afghanistan.

•The Taliban is a hardcore Islamist group that came into being in the 1990s. The group comprises between 55,000 to 85,000 full-time fighters. The group is primarily made of the Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

G7 Leaders: Background

•The G7 group, also known as the Group of Seven, is an international-governmental forum comprising leaders from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

•The 2021 G7 Presidency is with the United Kingdom (UK). The Presidency rotates annually among the member countries.

Also read: Taliban in Afghanistan: How it funds itself? – Explainer of the Day