The security initiative, unveiled this week, appears to have brought Biden’s summer of love with Europe to an abrupt end. AUKUS, which notably excludes France and the European Union, is just the latest in a series of steps, from Afghanistan to east Asia, that have taken Europe aback.
Joe Biden, during Wednesday's announcement, also maintained that the establishment of AUKUS is necessary because "we need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve."
The British government is facing criticism for failing to anticipate the rapid collapse of Afghanistan's Western-backed government, and for failing to evacuate all British nationals and their Afghan allies.
It comes after Taliban pledge to allow further departures. As per an official statement by the UK govt, over 17,000 people had been evacuated by the UK from Afghanistan so far.
The UK govt said late Saturday that about 1,000 troops who ran an airlift of British nationals and Afghan civilians had departed from Kabul airport, hours after the final evacuation flight for civilians.
2 suicide bomb attacks rocked Kabul airport in Afghan capital on Thursday, killing at least 103 people, including 13 US service members, and injuring 158 others.
"I want to stress that this threat of a terrorist attack is one of the constraints that we've been operating under in Operation Pitting, in the big extraction that's been going on, and we've been ready for it; we've been prepared for it," Johnson told the reporters after an emergency meeting, Xinhua reported.
The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 131,854. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
Meanwhile, automotive fuel sales volumes decreased by 2.9 pc over the month, marking 1st monthly fall since Feb 2021, the ONS data showed.
The UK has been able to evacuate about 2,000 people, including British nationals and Afghans who worked with Britain, since Thursday, the Prime Minister said.
According to a statement issued by UK PMO, Boris Johnson stressed the importance of not losing the gains made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years during the phone call with Biden.
Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement on Twitter that several other casualties were receiving treatment following the shooting.
A ministry statement said the troops will provide protection and logistical support for the relocation of British nationals where required.
The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 130,503.
The change, announced by the Dept for Transport, comes into effect from 4 am local time on Sunday.
Britain has reported another 35,707 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 5,058,093.
"All British troops assigned to NATO's mission in Afghanistan are now returning home," Johnson told House of Commons, lower house of British parliament.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,990,916, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier, Gen Naravane inspected the Guard of Honour provided by the Grenadier Guards on Horse Guards’ Parade Square as part of his welcome by the British Army.
The UK government has ruled out plans to decrease the gaps between two doses of Covid-19 vaccinations, even as infections driven by the Delta variant are surging in the country.
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