Times: Taliban Won't Extend 31 Aug Deadline For Evacuations From Kabul

Steven Swinford at The Times tweets: "Taliban have just confirmed that they won't extend the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal from Afghanistan. James Heappey, [UK] armed forces minister, warned this morning that Kabul will turn into a warzone if US and British forces go against their wishes"

• At tomorrow's emergency G7 videoconference on Afghanistan, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is believed to be seeking to persuade US President Joe Biden that US troops should remain in Kabul to ensure the evacuation of all Western personnel and Afghans who worked with the coalition forces.
• However, given the Taliban takeover any Western troops remaining unmolested in Kabul is contingent on the Taliban accepting an extension to the deadline, something that now appears unlikely.