FILE - In this Friday, June 11, 2021 file photo, leaders of the G7 pose during a group photo at the G7 meeting at the Carbis Bay Hotel in Carbis Bay, St. Ives, Cornwall, England. When U.S. President Joe Biden took office early this year, Western allies were falling over themselves to welcome and praise him and hail a new era in trans-Atlantic cooperation. The collapse of Kabul certainly put a stop to that. Even some of his biggest fans are now churning out criticism. (Phil Noble, Pool Photo via AP, File)
Afghanistan Allied Rift
WASHINGTON (AP) —Group 7 or “G7” leaders from around the world will meeting virtually today.
The leaders of the world’s seven major industrialized democracies will meet in virtual format for crisis talks on Afghanistan.
The Taliban quickly took control of the country, including the capitol of Kabul, as the U.S. military continues to withdraw from Afghanistan by Aug. 31st.
The country’s burgeoning refugee crisis, the collapse of its government and fears of a resurgence in Afghan-based terrorism have left the G-7 allies scrambling and threaten the unity of the bloc.
The messy exit of Western military forces from Afghanistan and the swift takeover of the country by the Taliban has stunned officials in Britain and strained the U.K.’s “special relationship” with its most important ally, the United States. Britain is urging the United States to extend its evacuation effort in Kabul past the Aug. 31 deadline. Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to press President Joe Biden for an extension.
The G7 is an informal grouping of seven of the world’s advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
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