The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that it welcomes the release by the “current administration of Afghanistan of four British nationals who were detained on allegations of breaking the laws of Afghanistan.”
“On behalf of families of the British nationals, we express their apologies to the current administration of Afghanistan for any violations of the laws of the country,” the statement said, reminding British nationals of the requirement to comply with relevant “UK counter-terrorism legislation when overseas and abide by all laws of the country of destination.”
In a separate statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said that the UK government does not support the use of UK “territory by anyone, including Afghan nationals, to plan, recruit for, incite or finance terrorism in Afghanistan, or to seek political change through violence.”
“We strongly discourage others from doing so,” the statement reads. “Political change sought through armed violence or incitement of violence that amounts to an offence in UK law can be subject to investigation.”
The statement further said that any kind of violence is not in the interests of Afghanistan and the international community.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office noted that there is no alternative to engaging pragmatically with the current administration of Afghanistan in a bid to promote peace, deliver essential humanitarian support to the Afghans as well as to address shared concerns on security.
