Afghanistan spiralling into failed state where al Qaeda will thrive, UK says

FILE PHOTO: British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace leaves after the service marking Armistice Day at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain November 11, 2020. Aaron Chown/PA Wire/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) -Afghanistan is spiralling into a failed state and a civil war in which militant groups such as al Qaeda will thrive and likely pose a threat again to the West, Britain's defence minister said on Friday.

After a 20-year war in Afghanistan, the United States has withdrawn most of its troops, allowing Taliban forces to sweep across the country in what diplomats have cast as a humiliation for Washington.