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The Defense Minister has cleared a private flight from Kabul arranged by a Royal Marines veteran who has decided to evacuate about 200 cats and dogs as well as staff working in his animal shelter.
After serving British troops in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s, Paul Farsing founded the Nawzad Shelter to rescue dogs, cats and donkeys.
Since the fall of Kabul, he has requested 68 visas for staff and dependents and arranged for 140 dogs and 60 cats to be rescued on a private charter flight he called “Operation Ark”. increase.
Farthing announced that staff had been issued visas on August 24, but the fate of Operation Ark after Defense Minister Ben Wallace stated that the evacuation of “people over pets” should be prioritized. Became suspicious.
Wallace said the privately arranged charter plane did not solve the main logistical problem of people not being able to go to the airport. He said the plane could block the airfield and sit there vacantly.
However, in a series of Twitter posts early August 25, Wallace said that if Farsing arrives at the airport with staff and animals, authorities will try to facilitate departure on a charter plane. ..
According to Wallace, if Farsing, also known as Penn, did not bring the animals, his staff would be allowed to fly to the UK “out of immigration regulations” (LOTR). You can take a flight.
“Pen Farthing staff were allowed to move forward under LOTR, so I told the mod to facilitate their processing along with all other qualified staff at (Kabul Airport). Allowed. At that stage, if he arrives with the animal, we will look for a slot for his plane, “Wallace wrote on Twitter.
“If he doesn’t have an animal, he and his staff can take a RAF flight. I’ve been consistent and the most endangered ones are processed first and limiting factors Is flowing to the airside, not the capacity of the plane. “
Former commander of the Marine Corps, Farsing, refused to abandon staff and animals after the fall of Kabul, updated tens of thousands of followers on social media, and conducted frequent media interviews. It attracted many people.
He previously stated that his animals could be taken to the hold of an airplane and 180 spare seats could be filled by other evacuees.
“The cargo hold is empty. We’ll put dogs and cats there! And 250 people on the cabin!” Farsing wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, veterinarian Iain McGill, a supporter of Nauzad in Britain, said people were ready to accept animals brought into Britain.
“Pen was able to safely carry all staff, animals, and himself to the airport,” Magill told PA news agency.
“At the airport, you can wait a few days for the plane to arrive. You need to be safe. Due to military operations, the pen doesn’t have that long window.”
Simon Veazey
Freelance reporter
Simon Veazey is a UK-based journalist who has been reporting on the Epoch Times since 2006 on a variety of beats, from detailed coverage of British and European politics to web-based writing of the latest news.
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