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- The UK government could make it illegal for Britons to enter Afghanistan, over fears they may join Islamist terror networks, reported The Telegraph.
- A person convicted of entering or remaining in designated areas could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
- With the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, there are fears the country could once again become a breeding ground for terrorist organizations.
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The British government is examining a proposal that would make it illegal for citizens to enter Afghanistan, over fears that British citizens may join Islamist terror groups in the Central Asian country, the Telegraph reported.
Parts or all of Afghanistan may be blacklisted, a government source told the UK newspaper Monday night. "We're looking at every option available at this stage about how we proceed in the future. This is one of the options," the source said, adding the British government will further discuss it this week.
The proposal would be supported by the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act of 2019, which gives the Home Secretary powers to "designate an area outside the UK which is associated with a risk of terrorism" as an illegal destination for UK nationals and residents.
The law came into force in 2019 as hundreds of Britons were reportedly heading to Syria to join the Islamic Caliphate, according to the Home Ministry. Under the law, a person convicted or entering or remaining in such areas could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
With the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, there are fears that the country could once again become a breeding ground and a home base for terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attack in 2001, the Taliban was accused of protecting al al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, reported The Guardian.
While the Taliban has distanced itself from al-Qaeda, there have been reports that the two groups remain close, according to the UN Security Council report released in June. Under a peace deal the Taliban signed with the Trump administration in February 2020, US-designated terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda, cannot operate from Afghan soil.
But there are doubts the Taliban will keep to the terms of the deal as chaos and violence continue in the country.
For now, the government source told The Telegraph that the government is focused on evacuating people out of Afghanistan before an August 31 deadline.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said Monday that about 1,800 UK passport holders and "eligible people" were still in Afghanistan, along with about 2,300 Afghans who worked for the UK government, reported the BBC. There is a "hard reality that we won't be able to get out everybody that we want to," he added.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked US President Joe Biden for an extension for withdrawal in Afghanistan beyond August 31, reported Reuters. However, even if Biden were to agree to such an extension, the Taliban has warned of "consequences" if the deadline is not met.
Click here to read the full report from the Telegraph .