The Ministry of Defense (MoD) has confirmed that nearly 6,000 people have been evacuated as part of a British rescue mission in Kabul.
Those repatriated under operational pitching include embassy staff, British citizens, those eligible for the Afghanistan Migration Assistance Policy (Arap) program, and a small number of citizens from partner countries. ..
The evacuation is supported by 1,000 British troops on the ground (including Pallas of the 16 Air Assault Brigade) and other Whitehall staff.
Brigadier General Dent Blancheford, the most senior British officer on the ground in Kabul, said British personnel “witnessed some tragic scenes” and at least seven Afghan civilians were chaotic. Confirmed that he died outside the gate of the airfield of the crowd.
Since the start of the mission on August 13, a total of 5,725 people have been repatriated, of which 3,100 are Afghans and their families.
Confirmation came when Defense Secretary Ben Wallace called to discuss the alliance’s efforts in the capital of Afghanistan with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Officials said the two had a “productive” conversation discussing “close cooperation and ongoing evacuation efforts by British and US personnel in Kabul.”
US President Joe Biden previously said he would have all US troops out of Afghanistan by August 31 and hope that the final civil flight would depart before that.
The evacuation process “will be carried out as long as security conditions allow joint coordination with US partners,” MoD said, and “no firm date has been set” for the end of civilian flights.
Blancheford, commander of the joint operations, said the military also provided food, diapers, baby milk and other aids as part of its efforts to bring people to Britain.
“The UK Integrated Task Force is at the forefront of large-scale intergovernmental evacuation operations, performing highly complex and demanding missions within range and in difficult situations,” he said.
“The horrific difficulties that families and individuals face when going to the airport are clear, and my men and women at the forefront have witnessed some disastrous sights.
“I am proud of the work of our army, which has shown professionalism and compassion in difficult situations.
“We are doubling our efforts to speed up the process and support the most vulnerable people.
“To that end, we send 30,000 liters of water, food for 5,000 people a day, and buy and distribute 2,700 diapers, 3,600 baby milk, and 2,025 hygiene packs.”
He added:
“We have also established an evacuation treatment model used in many other European and allied countries, evacuating citizens from a total of 38 countries.
“It took a lot of effort at all levels of government to achieve it.”
Patrick Daily
