Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Taliban’s takeover of Kabul prompts Boris Johnson to convene urgent COBRA meeting & ask parliament to end summer holiday

Taliban’s takeover of Kabul prompts Boris Johnson to convene urgent COBRA meeting & ask parliament to end summer holiday

The UK is taking seriously the events in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has just entered Kabul, with PM Boris Johnson assembling an urgent COBRA meeting and asking the parliament to come out of recess to discuss the takeover.
Earlier on Sunday, Taliban fighters made their way into Kabul, which had remained the now-defunct Afghan government’s last stronghold, after a largescale offensive in recent weeks saw the radical group seizing all other major urban areas in the country and encircling the capital. The gains by the militants occurred amid the withdrawal from Afghanistan of the US-led coalition, in which Britain played a major role, after a two-decade-long presence.

Fighting has been mostly avoided in the city of 4.9 million as the sides engaged in talks, which Taliban expects to conclude “in the next few days,” with the government handing the power over to the group. Negotiations reportedly started at the presidential palace in Kabul and are now expected to continue in Qatar, where some of the militant leaders have been staying.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “has convened a COBR meeting for later this afternoon to discuss the situation in Afghanistan,” the PM’s spokesman announced shortly after the news came from Kabul.

The Civil Contingencies Committee (COBR or COBRA) usually gathers to handle matters of national emergency or major disruption and includes ministers and senior officials from various agencies.

The government has also asked for Parliament to be recalled from its summer recess to urgently address the Afghanistan issue. The Speaker has granted the request, meaning that the MPs would cut their holidays short and gather at Westminster Palace on Wednesday.

The UK was among the Western nations that have rushed to evacuate their embassies from Kabul in recent days, despite Taliban giving assurances that foreign diplomats and aid workers would be guaranteed safety. London had sent 600 troops to the Afghan capital to make sure UK nationals would be able to leave the country unhampered.

During the past week, the size of the British diplomatic mission in Kabul was reduced from 500 to just several dozen people, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The UK’s ambassador to Afghanistan was expected to depart from the country on Sunday, the paper added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×