Fingers crossed for Pen Farthing and Nowzad

Latest Ministry of Defence

Looks like its true now BBC news let's just hope

Oh I do hope so.

I hope so too MayBee. I was just thinking about those petrified creatures.

Just said on the news that he and his animals are on their way through the airport. I hope it’s true.

Me too Callistemon. They are facing a very uncertain future.

Alegrias1

Callistemon

Becuase he's posh

Posh?
He was a sergeant in the Royal Marines. Does that make him posh?


It's nothing to do with that. I really hope he can get a slot to fly out and I have no idea how they are allocated but obviously it must be that, amidst all the chaos, slots are allocated on some kind of basis, perhaps different countries being allocated so many a day.

Quote from 6:55 this morning, not from me: "I think he’s a typical posh guy egomaniac"

I missed that. Oh dear, what a ridiculous remark and totally unjustified.

I am so very sorry he and his people (and the animals) have been stopped from leaving and, as with all those in despair left behind, feel real anguish at the thought of what may happen to them all now.

From what I understand further to tickingbird -

Biden is the one dealing with the Taliban.
Biden has put in place with the Taliban what paperwork is required for people to be allowed through the Taliban checkpoints, and the paperwork that the UK (and other nations) have supplied doesn't meet that criteria, so Pen and others have been turned away.

Ireland, Denmark, Canada, all have left Kabul airport.

In my opinion Pen now needs to leave by whatever means necessary in order to be safe and to be in a position to help his colleagues being left behind. He's going to be sought out for TV and press and hopefully be able to get people out if the Taliban "play ball". That is imperative.

Next priority (in my opinion) will be the fact that banks have been frozen and Pen hasn't been able to pay his staff, they won't have been able to buy food for the animals.

It's a very uncertain future for Afghanistan. Frustratingly so many of the American people I follow on Twitter see the US leaving Afghanistan as a huge success for Biden and either can't or unwilling to see the unholy mess that's been generated.

The correct information is that because of Biden- again - Pen and the animals couldn’t get through. This isn’t misinformation; it’s from the man himself.

I had to step away (step far away) from my laptop yesterday for my (hoping not to sound too far up my own arse) mental health.

And yes, the misinformation on this thread is astonishing, the same arguments from earlier pages rolled out again and again.

I'm not going to go over the correct information that's already been put out by Alegrias1 and others. No-one has ever said the animals should take the place of people, but there are (have been) windows when planes have to leave and if the people aren't processed in time those planes will leave empty. That was the premise. Now, instead of looking at the last date being 31 August 2021 we are told it's hours and no more people will be processed.

I'm truly struggling to put my emotions into words. 13 US soldiers killed yesterday -

Thankyou Grannygravy

AGAA4

Mr Farthing has said it was Biden who had stopped him and the animals leaving. BBC news.
This was due to a change in paperwork as I understand it.

That is exactly what Pen has said in his tweets.

Mr Farthing has said it was Biden who had stopped him and the animals leaving. BBC news.
This was due to a change in paperwork as I understand it.

Zoejory

The Taliban wouldn't let them through. That's what happened. Nothing to do with planes and times. The Taliban stopped them. That's what happened. Taliban. Not Americans. Not Air Traffic Control. Taliban.

Sorry but you are incorrect, when he reached the airport perimeter it was the US Forces who turned them away, read his tweets that I posted earlier today.

Reading the recent tweet from Pen Farthing saying that he'd been turned away made brought me to tears - for the first time in this whole conflict.

I may be strange because I cannot watch some of the adverts for animal charities and I cannot watch Lassie without crying.

It's NOT the Americans stopping him
Zoejory - that’s incorrect. I saw Pen being interviewed earlier and he said Joe Biden had changed his mind and ordered that only people with certain documents could get through into the airport. This meant he couldn’t get through. I don’t believe the plane is there but now there’s been the explosions Pen and the animals are back at the centre.

The Taliban wouldn't let them through. That's what happened. Nothing to do with planes and times. The Taliban stopped them. That's what happened. Taliban. Not Americans. Not Air Traffic Control. Taliban.

Callistemon

^Becuase he's posh^

Posh?
He was a sergeant in the Royal Marines. Does that make him posh?


It's nothing to do with that. I really hope he can get a slot to fly out and I have no idea how they are allocated but obviously it must be that, amidst all the chaos, slots are allocated on some kind of basis, perhaps different countries being allocated so many a day.

Quote from 6:55 this morning, not from me: "I think he’s a typical posh guy egomaniac"

Becuase he's posh

Posh?
He was a sergeant in the Royal Marines. Does that make him posh?


It's nothing to do with that. I really hope he can get a slot to fly out and I have no idea how they are allocated but obviously it must be that, amidst all the chaos, slots are allocated on some kind of basis, perhaps different countries being allocated so many a day.

And I shall continue to argue the toss, Tanith. It's not up to you to stop discussion.

tanith

If the Americans won’t let him through his argument is lost so no one is to blame here please stop arguing the toss of who said what to who and when etc etc etc.
The whole debarkle is very sad.

It's NOT the Americans stopping him It was the Taliban.

For goodness sake, the amount of misinformation on this thread is horrendous.

There should have been time to get all out - humans and animals - if those running the show had done their jobs properly in the first place.
It's inhumane what all living souls are going through there because of incompetence. So sad.
Animals are abused by humans all over the world. Worked to death in so many countries. They all deserve better.

If the Americans won’t let him through his argument is lost so no one is to blame here please stop arguing the toss of who said what to who and when etc etc etc.
The whole debarkle is very sad.

i agree Alegrias1 how many times on this thread do we have to say that the animals would go in the cargo hold, where no passengers could travel (no seat belts and the airline is probably not insured to do so) - they are NOT taking the place of people. As for chartering planes to take people only, why do that and leave the cargo holds empty? They might as well as utilise the hold to carry something. Yes I am an animal lover, but would put human life first every time, but, as in this case, it is not a contest for the same seats on that plane, I can see no reason to deny those animals passage.

if there is money raised for a charter plane use it for human beings, him and his workers included

Do you know who raised this money? The Nowzad charity. Their followers. Of which I am one.

I've been donating to this for years. I donated toward this flight. It's these people who have paid for a plane. To bring him and his staff and animals out.

Very sad that it appears they'll be unable to evacuate now