Afghanistan: Ben Farthing says animal shelter workers have been evacuated – two weeks after moving 170 dogs and cats to the UK | world News

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A former Royal Marine who founded an animal shelter in Afghanistan says his staff have been evacuated from the country – two weeks after he left Kabul with nearly 170 dogs and cats.

Paul “Ben” Farthing posted on Twitter a picture of Nawzad workers in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, adding that they are under the auspices of the British High Commission.

Its staff, who have manually reared dozens of rescued animals, were unable to leave during the rapid mass evacuation from Kabul airport last month.

Photo: Paul ‘Pen’ Farthing. Pic: Nowzad

Since Mr Farthing’s return to England at the end of August, he has been working to help evacuate 68 people – including Nawzad staff and family members. Among them are 25 children and one infant.

“This is absolutely amazing,” he said. “It hasn’t really sunk yet.”

The Farthing campaign – known as Operation Astronomy – sparked controversy, with the defense secretary claiming it was a distraction from efforts to evacuate people at risk.

The former Royal Marine also apologized for leaving an obscene message to a government aide while trying to carry out the evacuation.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab wrote on Twitter: “We are delighted that the Afghan Nawzad crew, who have been called for evacuation, have successfully crossed the border into Pakistan today. Our staff are assisting them in UKinpakistan and we look forward to welcoming them to the UK in the coming days.”

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Walking around Kabul with the Taliban

In other developments, on Saturday, Saturday, the Taliban movement raised its flag over the presidential palace in Afghanistan.

The opening ceremony took place as the United States celebrated the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

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