Afghanistan: UK ability to process new evacuees 'extremely reduced' as mission draws to a close

27 August 2021, 22:31 | Updated: 27 August 2021, 22:50

The UK has evacuated more than 14,000 people from Afghanistan, but the Ministry of Defence has said that no more people will now be called forward for processing
The UK has evacuated more than 14,000 people from Afghanistan, but the Ministry of Defence has said that no more people will now be called forward for processing. Picture: Ministry of Defence

By Daisy Stephens

The UK's ability to process any more evacuations from Afghanistan is now "extremely reduced", the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has warned, as the focus turned to get diplomats and service personnel out of the country.

The MoD said on Friday night that 14,543 people had now been extracted from Kabul since August 13, a mix of Afghan and British nationals.

Some 8,000 of those were Afghans and their families under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme, which applies to those who helped the UK and are at risk of persecution by the Taliban.

But Operation Pitting - the name for the evacuation effort - is drawing to a close.

Read more: Afghanistan: UK evacuation of Kabul enters final hours with '150 Brits' left behind

Already the Baron Hotel facility, which was being used to process those leaving the country by British officials, has closed.

The MoD said this would allow a focus on evacuating the British nationals and others who have already been processed and are at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

But the department said "the UK's ability to process further cases is now extremely reduced and additional numbers will be limited", and no-one else would now be called forward.

Evacuating all those already processed will now free up space on military aircraft to bring diplomats and military personnel home.

Read more: Afghanistan: Three British nationals including a child die in Kabul airport attack

Caller stuck in Kabul: 'My future looks bleak.'

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace earlier declined to give a timeline for the exit of British forces as they processed the approximately 1,000 further evacuees already in the airport but acknowledged it would come before the Americans withdrawal, with Mr Biden having set the departure deadline of Tuesday.

He said there were between 800 and 1,100 Afghans eligible under the Arap scheme who would be left behind, while around 100 and 150 UK nationals will be left in Afghanistan, although Mr Wallace said some of those were staying willingly.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke of his "great sense of regret" at those left behind.

PM grilled on Afghanistan evacuation

He said: "Of course, as we come down to the final hours of the operation there will sadly be people who haven't got through, people who might qualify.

"What I would say to them is that we will shift heaven and earth to help them get out, we will do whatever we can in the second phase."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid celebrates a goal.

Four people given suspended prison sentences for hate crimes after hanging effigy of Real Madrid star

Electricity prices in the UK are high because of the "insane" wholesale market, Parliament has been told.

UK electricity prices ‘way too high’ because of ‘insane’ wholesale market, Parliament told

Detectives have released CCTV footage of a man they wish to speak to following an attempted rape

Bid to trace man as police investigate attempted rape of woman in cinema

Exclusive
Jess Phillips on LBC

Victims deserve credit for grooming gangs national inquiry - not Elon Musk, says Labour minister

Lammy insists UK 'not involved' in Israeli air strikes  - as Iranian state TV studio 'hit by rockets' during live broadcast.

Lammy insists UK 'not involved' in Israeli air strikes - as Iranian state TV studio 'hit by rockets' live on air

The Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, England, where Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will visit on Wednesday Aug. 7, 2024 following riots

Pregnant teenager facing jail term following role in Rotherham riots targeting migrant hotel

Hamilton started the race in fifth and looked to be on course for a positive 70 laps - before his Grand Prix was impacted in the initial stages.

Lewis Hamilton is left 'devastated' after hitting a furry animal at 100mph in F1's Canadian Grand Prix

Gareth Bale is reportedly being lined up to front a takeover of League One side Plymouth

Gareth Bale in talks to front shock US takeover of League One club

DJ John Reid has died suddenly aged 61

Top DJ dies suddenly aged 61 as music stars pay tribute

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media at the G7 summit, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, Monday, June 16, 2025.

'Israel has right to defend itself - and Iran cannot have nuclear weapons', say world leaders at G7 summit in Canada

Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of 92-year-old Ryland Headley appearing via video link at Bristol Magistrates' Court, charged with the rape and murder of widow Louisa Dunne in Bristol in 1967.

Man, 92, goes on trial for the rape and murder of a pensioner in 1967

.

Scottish school apologises after calling Union Flag 'offensive or sectarian' in letter to parents

Richard Oladi, who works in NHS primary care alongside his mother, is currently stuck in Tehran.

'Desperately frightened' NHS worker describes being trapped in Tehran while on a family visit with his mother

A crane retrieves part of the fuselage of the Air India Boeing 787 on June 14, 2025 in Ahmedabad, India.

Families of British Air India crash victims 'feel utterly abandoned' as they blast UK government's response

Chris Brown is back on stage after being bailed

Where Chris Brown will play on Breezy Bowl XX world tour after bail

Viswash Kumar Ramesh (circled) walking out of the wreckage while clutching his phone

New video shows sole survivor of Air India disaster walking away from fireball wreck while on his phone