Former Marine Pen Farthing blocked by Taliban from leaving Afghanistan with animals

26 August 2021, 07:27 | Updated: 26 August 2021, 07:49

A former Royal Marine who has been campaigning to have dozens of people and hundreds of animals at his sanctuary evacuated from Afghanistan has been blocked from leaving the country by the Taliban.

Pen Farthing tweeted at an official from the militant group this morning asking for the Taliban's cooperation in helping him reach his charter plane out of the country.

He posted on Twitter: "My team & my animals are stuck at airport circle. We have a flight waiting. Can you please facilitate safe passage into the airport for our convoy?

"We are an NGO who will come back to Afghanistan but right now I want to get everyone out safely.

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"We have been here for 10 hours after being assured that we would have safe passage. Truly would like to go home now. Let’s prove the IEA are taking a different path."

His plea comes after the defence secretary said UK officials would help him leave the country.

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Ben Wallace tweeted yesterday: "Now that Pen Farthing’s staff have been cleared to come forward under [leave outside the rules], I have authorised MoD to facilitate their processing alongside all other eligible personnel at (Kabul airport). At that stage, if he arrives with his animals we will seek a slot for his plane."

Days ago animal lover Mr Farthing had tweeted that he had been "left to fend for myself in Kabul" as he tried to get animal welfare staff and animals out of the country.

He has been battling to get all 25 staff from his animal welfare charity Nowzad and their families, as well as the animals, out of the country for days.

Earlier this week Defence Secretary Ben Wallace dismissed as "b****cks" any suggestion Mr Farthing had been 'cut off by the MoD' and left 'to fend for himself' in Afghanistan.

The Defence Secretary said he "simply had to prioritise people over animals."

Mr Wallace said there were some "really desperate" people in the queue to be evacuated from Afghanistan who faced a "bleak" future if they did not get out of the country.

But according to reports the Prime Minister stepped in and a chartered evacuation flight was arranged for Mr Farthing, members of his team, and the animals.

Mr Farthing previously managed to get his wife and his heavily pregnant shelter manager out of the country, but warned the latter is now stranded in a "hell hole prison camp" in Germany.

MoD figures show more than 11,500 people have now been airlifted to the UK since the evacuation mission Operation Pitting began on August 13 as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan ahead of the US-led withdrawal of western troops from the country.