In Afghanistan, Britain's Johnson sees no sign of global retreat

Record ID: 77282

  • Title: In Afghanistan, Britain's Johnson sees no sign of global retreat
  • Date: 26th November 2016
  • Summary: JOHNSON AND BRITISH AND AFGHAN OFFICIALS APPLAUDING JOHNSON SHAKING HANDS WITH STUDENTS VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER CARRYING JOHNSON LANDING AT AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY OFFICERS ACADEMY COMPOUND VARIOUS OF JOHNSON AND JERMEY WALKING IN COMPOUND, TAKING HELMETS OFF BRITISH SOLDIERS GUARDING AREA BRITISH FLAG ON UNIFORM OF A SOLDIER JOHNSON SPEAKING TO AFGHAN AND NATO OFFICERS AT ACADEMY BRITISH AND AFGHAN SOLDIERS AT MEETING VARIOUS OF JOHNSON SIGNING ACADEMY'S VISITORS BOOK JOHNSON GREETING MENTORS FROM NATO-LED RESOLUTE SUPPORT MISSION JOHNSON POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH MENTORS VARIOUS OF BRITISH OFFICER EXPLAINING GEOGRAPHICAL LAYOUT OF AREA AROUND ACADEMY TO JOHNSON
  • Embargoed: 11th December 2016 16:56
  • Keywords: Afghanistan foreign secretary britain boris johnson kabul president ashraf ghani abdullah abdullah diplomacy
  • Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
  • City: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0035A2ZMTJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Saturday (November 26) laid a wreath at a British cemetery in Kabul to pay tribute to British soldiers killed in Afghanistan, during an official trip to the country.
    The wreath was placed near a monument dedicated to more than 450 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
    Johnson also visited Kabul University, where he attended a performance of a scene from Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth in Dari.
    Accompanied by the British ambassador to Afghanistan Dominic Jermey, Johnson later travelled by helicopter to an Afghan army academy where he met with Afghan and NATO officers.
    During his visit, Johnson dismissed suggestions that Britain's exit from the European Union and the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president would lead to Western powers withdrawing from engagement with the rest of the world.
    Johnson said Britain remained committed to Afghanistan "for the long haul".
    As well as continued support for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train Afghan security forces, it was doing "a hell of a lot" for aid and development in Afghanistan, in areas like education, he said.
    Johnson also met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah during his visit.
    Britain's June 23 vote for 'Brexit' and Trump's backing for an "America First" foreign policy have triggered alarm among some commentators who see signs of increasing isolationism among Western powers. However Johnson, one of the leaders of the pro-Brexit camp, rejected such fears.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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