Johnson: UK to take 5,000 Afghan refugees this year

Britain’s government says it plans to take in 5,000 Afghan refugees this year, especially women and children, in response to the Taliban's seizure of power

LONDON -- The British government said it would take in 5,000 Afghan refugees this year, primarily women and children, as lawmakers packed Parliament Wednesday for a heated emergency debate on the U.K. response to the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has come under fire for the chaotic turn of events in Afghanistan, said a new “generous” refugee settlement program would allow up to 20,000 vulnerable Afghans to seek sanctuary in the U.K. in the coming years. That number is over and above the 5,000 or so Afghan allies the U.K. is trying to evacuate from Kabul's international airport. Johnson said the U.K. would work to unite the international community behind a “clear plan for dealing with the Taliban." The prime minister, who is the current president of the Group of Seven leading nations, said he was looking to convene a meeting of leaders in coming days. “We are clear, and we have agreed that it’d be a mistake for any country to recognize any new regime in Kabul prematurely or bilaterally," Johnson, who spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders in recent days, said.