FORMER commando turned animal rescuer Pen Farthing and his animals have been rescued from Kabul after the British Army helped him board a private plane.
The ex Commando, who has been battling to evacuate his staff and almost 200 rescue animals, was forced to turn away from an evacuation flight yesterday.
It happened as a suicide bomber detonated his device at Kabul airport on Thursday – killing at least 170 and leaving scores injured.
But now the 57-year-old is due to fly to Tashkent in Uzbekistan before returning to the UK .
He spoke to the Sun of his sadness at not being able to fulfill his promise to get his predominantly Afghan staff to safety as well.
He said: “It is just so depressing I had to leave them behind.
“Some of them came with me to the airport but they weren’t allowed to cross the line from Taliban to British control."
Read our Kabul explosion live blog for the latest updates…
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EXPLAINED: WHO ARE TERROR GROUP ISIS-K?
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the Kabul airport suicide attack which happened earlier this week.
Isis-K is an offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) that has been operating in eastern Afghanistan since 2014.
Read more here.
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PEN FARTHING’S DOGS WILL BE LOCKED UP WHEN THEY ARRIVE IN UK FROM AFGHANISTAN AS THEY FACE FOUR-MONTH QUARANTINE
The ex Commando is on his way back to Britain with 173 rescue animals after a dramatic evacuation that has gripped the nation.
But when the 94 dogs and 79 cats are brought into the country, they’ll be kept in Government kennels until Christmas as they’re tested for diseases.
Officials have drawn up plans to accommodate the creatures upon Pen’s return.
One source said it’s “important to have a contingency plan in place to protect our bio security”.
“Rabies is one of the diseases that is prevalent there that we would be worried about,” they said.
Read more here.
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BABY GIRL BORN AT 30,000FT ON BOARD EVACUATION FLIGHT HEADING FOR BIRMINGHAM
Afghan refugee Soman Noori, 26, went into labour in airspace over Kuwait on a Turkish Airlines flight to Birmingham.
The plane had taken off from Kabul before flying to Dubai, but had no doctor on board which meant the cabin crew had to deliver the tot.
She has been named Havva by her mum and dad, Taj Moh Hammat, 30, which translates to Eve.
The newborn is the couple's third child, with the airline confirming that both mum and baby were healthy after the birth.
The flight had landed in Kuwait as a precaution, it then carried on its route to Birmingham and landed at 11.45am.
Photographs and video footage showed Turkish Airlines crew cradling the baby and handing her to her mother.
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BRIT TROOPS PICTURED ON FLIGHT HOME FROM KABUL AS AIRLIFT ENDS
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AFGHAN STAFF MUST STAY WITH TALIBAN
Pen’s courageous staff later told him to go without them.
He is thought to be the last British citizen to leave the city, even after the ambassador, Sir Laurie Bristow.
He told The Sun: “It is just so depressing I had to leave them behind.”
And he said there were “lots of tears” as he walked away from them.
“I feel so many things,” he said.
“I feel very sad for them [but] I’m relieved for me and I feel happy for the animals.”
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PEN FARTHING’S PLANE LANDS IN AFGHANISTAN TO RESCUE EX-COMMANDO AND DOGS
The former Commando and 173 dogs and cats will soon be in the air after a dramatic evacuation that has gripped the nation.
But Afghan members of staff and their families have been forced to stay behind.
Pen’s departure will mark the end to a saga that ended with heartbreak earlier this week.
He had been attempting to get 69 people, as well as the animals, out of the country when President Joe Biden “changed policy” on who can evacuate.
His convoy was 300 metres inside the airport perimeter in Kabul when they were turned back by the Taliban.
Moments later, at least 169 people – including 13 US servicemen, two British men and the teenage child of a third UK national – were killed in a deadly suicide blast outside the airport.
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FINAL UK EVACUATION FLIGHT FOR AFGHANISTAN NATIONALS LEAVES KABUL AIRPORT AS MORE THAN 1,000 LEFT TRAPPED
The Ministry of Defence confirmed this afternoon that the last flight exclusively for taking people out of the stricken country and into Britain has gone.
It comes as experts warn another devastating terror attack is “likely”.
General Sir Nick Carter, head of the UK armed forces, earlier told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the final flights were on the way out.
“We’re reaching the end of the evacuation, which will take place during the course of today, and then of course it’ll be necessary to bring our troops out on the remaining aircraft,” he said.
“It’s gone as well as it could do in the circumstances.”
Many British troops have already landed back home, with pictures showing soldiers in uniform pouring from military planes in RAF Brize Norton today.
Tragically, experts say there is more horror yet to come for the people of Afghanistan.
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HOW KABUL SUICIDE BOMBERS KILLED AT LEAST 170 IN AIRPORT BLAST AS ISIS-K FIGHTERS ‘SLIPPED PAST TALIBAN SECURITY’
A blast rocked the airport in Afghanistan yesterday just hours before the evacuation deadline leaving at least 13 US troops and dozens of Afghan civilians dead – but it has been revealed officials may have been frantically searching for a bomber when his device went off.
It has now emerged that at least one ISIS suicide bomber managed to slip past Taliban screening at the airport to launch an attack on US troops, reports the Mail.
Read more here.
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PEN ‘GONE THROUGH HELL’
His evacuation – announced by the MoD Friday evening – has been hailed by concerned Brits who have been following his multiple escape efforts on social media.
One relieved woman said it was “the news we have all been waiting for”.
Pen had spent days battling to evacuate his staff and almost 200 rescue animals, after being forced to turn away from an evacuation flight yesterday.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said officials would seek a runway slot for the plane chartered by Pen to evacuate him, his staff and their animals if they went to Kabul Airport.
But, Pen, 69 Afghan adults and kids, and the animals were 300 metres inside the airport perimeter when the Taliban told the group it couldn’t board a jet.
He said on Thursday: “We had gone through hell to get there… it took 36 hours to achieve that.”
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EXPLAINED: WHO ARE THE TALIBAN AND WHAT DO THEY WANT?
The Taliban is designated as a “terror group“, alongside the likes of Al-Qaeda by the Security Council.
Devout followers are responsible for most insurgent attacks in Afghanistan. The word “Taliban” is Pashto for “students”.
The Taliban-led regime is also infamous for its shocking treatment of women.
The Taliban is on a bloody path to wrest back control of Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of foreign forces.
They have up to 100,000 full-time fighters, and are “stronger now than at any point in the past 20 years,” reports the Council on Foreign Relations.
Read more here.
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HOW SLOW JOE BIDEN’S BUNGLED FACTS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN & 5-HR DELAY TO SPEAK ABOUT KABUL BOMB SHOWS PRESIDENCY IN TURMOIL
His presidency has been left in turmoil as his approval ratings plunge thanks to controversial decisions and repeated mistakes during speeches, which have further fuelled criticism as he makes factual errors and inaccurate predictions.
The President has now even been accused of having “blood on his hands” after at least 13 troops were among the 170-plus killed at the hands of ISIS-K in a suicde at Kabul airport.
Speaking from the White House after the deadly blast, Biden appeared to crumble under the pressure as he snapped at a reporter and lost his breath.
During Thursday’s press conference, Biden didn’t deny that names may have been handed over to the Taliban.
Read more here.
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TOM TUGENDHAT, CHAIR OF THE COMMONS FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, DISAPPOINTED AT THE EVACUATION EFFORT FROM BRITISH
The former army officer told BBC Breakfast he is continuing to work to get people out of the country.
“I’m extremely sad about this and I very much hope that it might go beyond the August deadline but we found out a few days ago that it wasn’t, so I was expecting it. It still leaves me extremely sad that so many of my friends have been left behind.
“What I am working on, and you’ll understand I’m afraid that I’m not going to give you complete details about this, we’re looking at different networks to get people into second countries, and then connecting them to high commissions and ambassadors of the United Kingdom, to get them to the UK safely.” he said.
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FINAL UK EVACUATION FLIGHT FOR AFGHANISTAN NATIONALS LEAVES KABUL AIRPORT AS MORE THAN 1,000 LEFT TRAPPED
The Ministry of Defence confirmed this afternoon that the last flight exclusively for taking people out of the stricken country and into Britain has gone.
It comes as experts warn another devastating terror attack is “likely”.
General Sir Nick Carter, head of the UK armed forces, earlier told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the final flights were on the way out.
“We’re reaching the end of the evacuation, which will take place during the course of today, and then of course it’ll be necessary to bring our troops out on the remaining aircraft,” he said.
“It’s gone as well as it could do in the circumstances.”
Many British troops have already landed back home, with pictures showing soldiers in uniform pouring from military planes in RAF Brize Norton today.
Tragically, experts say there is more horror yet to come for the people of Afghanistan.
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PEN FARTHING’S PLANE LANDS IN AFGHANISTAN TO RESCUE EX-COMMANDO AND DOGS
The former Commando and 173 dogs and cats will soon be in the air after a dramatic evacuation that has gripped the nation.
But Afghan members of staff and their families have been forced to stay behind.
Pen’s departure will mark the end to a saga that ended with heartbreak earlier this week.
He had been attempting to get 69 people, as well as the animals, out of the country when President Joe Biden “changed policy” on who can evacuate.
His convoy was 300 metres inside the airport perimeter in Kabul when they were turned back by the Taliban.
Moments later, at least 169 people – including 13 US servicemen, two British men and the teenage child of a third UK national – were killed in a deadly suicide blast outside the airport.
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MARINE STUART SCHELLER IS RELIEVED OF DUTY AFTER DEMANDING MILITARY LEADERS ADMIT ‘WE MESSED UP’ AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL
A US Marine was relieved of his command for publicly demanding senior US military brass take “accountability” for overseeing the execution of the pullout from Afghanistan after 13 troops died in Thursday’s suicide bombing.
“I have been relieved for cause based on a lack of trust and confidence…” Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller posted on his social media page.
The father of three who has served the US Marine Corps Infantry for 17 years first openly admitted that part of what compelled him to come forward to speak out was losing his comrades to the “mess going on [in Afghanistan].”
“I know through an inside channel that one of the people that was killed was someone I have a personal relationship with,” he said.
Read the article in full here.
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HOSTAGE FEARS FOR 1,000 AFGHAN ALLIES LEFT AT THE MERCY OF TALIBAN AND ISIS-K AS BORIS TELLS OF ‘GREAT REGRET’
The chilling warning came as Boris Johnson said he felt a “great sense of regret” about those left behind and vowed to “shift heaven and earth” to get people out of Afghanistan after the August 31 deadline.
Britain has so far evacuated more than 14,500 Afghan and UK nationals as thousands of people have gathered at Kabul airport over the past 12 days hoping to be rescued after the Taliban seized power.
But up to 150 British citizens and 1,100 Afghan aides are set to miss the final airlifts out after the doors were slammed shut.
MP Tom Tugendhat, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said Afghan allies are “literally in fear of their lives” after being left behind.
He told Sky News: “There’s a possibility we may find ourselves with the biggest hostage crisis the UK has ever seen.
“Over 3,000 entitled people were said to be in Afghanistan at the beginning of the process, I don’t know how many now, but we’ll be asking about that.”
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BRITISH RED CROSS OVERWHELMED BY KINDNESS OF PUBLIC
The British Red Cross has said it is overwhelmed by the kidness shown by the public. Over £1 million has been raised for its Afghanistan Crisis appeal which is welcoming Afghan families arriving at UK airports.
The appeal aims to provide emotional support and give out essential items like food, warm clothing and hygiene kits to the families arriving on UK soil.
Mike Murphy, a British Red Cross emergency responder at Heathrow, said: “People have come from a chaotic area on very long-haul flights, often in cramped conditions with little opportunity to clean and be comfortable. It’s the little things like toothpaste and a toothbrush, a pair of slippers so they can change the shoes that they’ve been wearing for the last 56 hours.
“They’re quite confused and very tired.”
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OVER 100,000 WESTERNERS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED FROM AFGHANISTAN IN 13 DAYS
The US will press on with evacuations despite the threat of further attacks, with it said there are around 1,000 US citizens still in Afghanistan.
The pace of evacuation flights had accelerated on Friday and American passport holders had been allowed to enter the airport compound, said a Western security official stationed inside the airport.
In the past 13 days, Western countries have evacuated nearly 100,000 people.
But they acknowledge that thousands will be left behind when the last U.S. troops leave at the end of the month.
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JOE BIDEN SAYS HE WILL GRANT “ADDITIONAL FORCE” TO CARRY OUT US EVACUATION IN AFGHANISTAN
Joe Biden has said the U.S. will “grant additional force” to continue its evacuation of its citizens and Afghans who are vulnerable to the Taliban advance following a devastating suicide attack.
At least 12 US troops were killed in twin blasts outside Kabul airport where thousands were queuing for rescue flights.
Biden said: “We will not be deterred by terrorists.”
“These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue those Americans in there,” the president explained.
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US DRONE STRIKE ‘KILLS’ ISIS-K ‘PLANNER’ BEHIND KABUL BOMB AS GENERAL VOWS ’24/7′ HUNT FOR AFGHAN MILITANTS
The military launched its first deadly revenge attack against an ISIS-K as a "24/7" hunt for those responsible continues.
Captain Bill Urban of the Central Command said the drone attack took place in the Nangahar province of east Afghanistan – home to most of the 2,000 Islamic State-Khorasan militants that took responsibility for Thursday's atrocity.
"Initial indications are that we killed the target" – a "planner" of the suicide bombing, Cpt Urban said, adding: "We know of no civilian casualties."
It comes after Joe Biden vowed he'd "hunt down" extremists and "make them pay" following the blast in Afghanistan on Thursday.
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FARTHING REVEALS SOME OF THE STRUGGLES HE HAS GONE THROUGH
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MORE HORROR YET TO COME, EXPERTS SAY
Tragically, experts say there is more horror yet to come for the people of Afghanistan.
Some are predicting "the biggest hostage crisis the UK has ever seen" as between 100 and 150 UK nationals and up to 1,100 eligible Afghans are left behind.
And President Joe Biden has been briefed that "another terror attack in Kabul is likely" as the US yesterday launched a drone strike against the ISIS-K "planner" of Thursday's suicide bombing.
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EXPLAINED: WHO ARE TERROR GROUP ISIS-K?
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the Kabul airport suicide attack which happened earlier this week.
Isis-K is an offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) that has been operating in eastern Afghanistan since 2014.
Read more here.
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EXPLAINED: WHICH COUNTRIES BORDER AFGHANISTAN AND CAN REFUGEES GO THERE?
The UN has urged Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to enable safe passage out.
It said: “At this stage, our primary concern is that Afghans who are seeking safety can reach it, including borders and into neighbouring countries if needed.
“The UNHCR is calling on all countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open in light of the intensifying crisis in Afghanistan.”
Pakistan – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan in June said that the border would be closed with Afghanistan if the Taliban seized control of the country.
However, it appears that at least one route has remained open allowing refugees into the country.Iran – Emergency shelter and tents have been set up in the three Iranian provinces along the 560-mile border with Afghanistan.
The country is preparing to provide the essentials for those in need.Uzbekistan – Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry has threatened that any attempt to cross the border “illegally” will be “suppressed harshly”.
Read more here.
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EXPLAINED: WHO ARE TERROR GROUP ISIS-K?
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the Kabul airport suicide attack which happened earlier this week.
Isis-K is an offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) that has been operating in eastern Afghanistan since 2014.
Read more here.
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