27 Aug 2021
Mr Farthing says he and members of his charity’s veterinary team – along with truck filled with rescue animals – were inside the airport, but ejected into Kabul after deadly terror explosions.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Paul “Pen” Farthing, and his Nowzad team and rescue animals, were all safe this morning, but were turned away from Kabul Airport amid the chaos of yesterday’s (26 August) devastating explosions.
Former marine Mr Farthing is attempting to get out with his team and dozens of animals on a chartered flight funded by supporters, and yesterday had made their way through the streets of Kabul to the airport.
Defence minister Ben Wallace had told the charity founder a slot would be found if he and his team made their own way to the airport.
The Nowzad team was within the airport perimeter when the explosions occurred, claiming at least 90 lives, including 13 US military personnel.
Today, a Nowzad Tweet said: “The team is safe but still in Afghanistan. We cannot believe what happened yesterday.”
In his own Tweet early this morning, Mr Farthing said: “The whole team and dogs/cats were safely 300m inside the airport perimeter. We were turned away as [US president Joe Biden] had changed paperwork rules just two hours earlier.
“Went through hell to get there and we were turned away into the chaos of those devastating explosions.”
He had also replied to a supporter that although they had British paperwork, it was trumped because the US control the airport.
The UK has said it is entering the final stages of its evacuation, with 1,000 people leaving today, and all evacuations and foreign troop withdrawals due to end on 31 August.
US charity War Paws, which runs the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, has similarly been trying to get out of Kabul this week.
