Fingers crossed for Pen Farthing and Nowzad

A few points that have been raised in the previous 16 pages but may have been lost -

The Nowzad staff of vets, vet nurses and their families were given the green light by Boris Johnson himself, whether that equates to Visa's I don't know. However people do still have to go through the processing stage which was closed on Thursday last week after the bombings. Of course it is necessary to ensure the right people are travelling on the right papers. It would be a different case for Pen himself as a British Passport holder.

April 14th 2021 Ben Wallace said the UK "drawdown" of British Troops in Afghanistan would start "from next month" (May 2021)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56744265

The premise, I presume, would be that the Afghan Army would be trained and confident enough to support the Afghanistan parliament.

The report says - In February 2020, the US (Trump) and the Taliban agreed a deal that would see the US and Nato allies withdraw all troops within 14 months if the Taliban upheld its promises, including not allowing al-Qaeda or other militants to operate in areas it controlled and proceeding with national peace talks.

The BBC had an article on 13 August 2021 saying the Taliban could take over Kabul in 90 days. It took 4 days, and that's when the rush on the airport started. The UK's Foreign Ambassador Laurie Bristow says his staff were working "24/7" to process the paperwork at Kabul Airport as the Embassy was taken over by the Taliban.

There are extended family members travelling with interpreters - televised report last week from an interpreter whose father had been killed by the Taliban because of his son's work with Allied Forces.

It's shameful that so many have been left behind and will be looking to go overland to leave Afghanistan. I said earlier in this thread that these people don't want to leave Afghanistan but will not want to live under Taliban rule. In the link to the BBC report from 14 April 2021 - The speaker of the Afghan parliament, Mir Rahman Rahmani, has warned the withdrawal of foreign forces in the current circumstances will lead to civil war.

Not much of a life, is it?

LondonMzFitz

A few points that have been raised in the previous 16 pages but may have been lost -

The Nowzad staff of vets, vet nurses and their families were given the green light by Boris Johnson himself, whether that equates to Visa's I don't know. However people do still have to go through the processing stage which was closed on Thursday last week after the bombings. Of course it is necessary to ensure the right people are travelling on the right papers. It would be a different case for Pen himself as a British Passport holder.

According to the Guardian this morning No10 is denying that Johnson had anything to do with the operation...

The plane - a commercial plane - was privately chartered and had no costs met by the British taxpayer, the plan was for animals in the otherwise empty hold and seats for Pen, his staff, their families and other spaces offered to people that had the correct paperwork in place. Again, the processing of people stopped on Thursday last week so Pen's staff couldn't leave and there were no other people that had paperwork in place for those empty seats. I don't know if animals were put in the seated area but I have read that 5 cats died in transit - remember, temperatures where in the 30° daytime and plummet at night; before the bombs went off on Thursday the whole team were waiting 36 hours to get entry to the airport.

Pen was authorised by the British Government to go to Kabul Airport on Friday with the animals (who didn't need processing paperwork). His Afghan team drove other vehicles with animals but those people weren't allowed through the Taliban checkpoints around the airport, thus (from what I've read) a British Soldier drove the vehicle into the airport.

And then they waited, Pen and these 170+ animals, in the heat; it was the US soldiers who watered the animals down, and helped Pen load on to the airplane. I'm guessing the British soldiers were ordered not to help - I haven't seen that anywhere but I can take an educated guess that is what happened.

The Nowzad Charity isn't a hobby for Pen Farthing, it's his job. He has commitments to his staff both in the UK and Afghanistan. Without the animals the staff can now look at travelling overland to get out of Afghanistan. They wouldn't have been able to do that journey with animals.

There were some photographs on Facebook on Sunday from various animal shelters throughout the UK that have taken some of the dogs in through their quarantine process.

They've been checked over by Vets - two of which travelled on the plane, I believe - @IainTime Iain McGill - Nowzad update: Op Ark is a humanitarian mission to rescue 68 Nowzad staff including their 25 children and new born child, along with 150 animals. I was lead vet, travelling back with Pen & animals to UK, but most important work remains undone

Tory backlash - any surprise Boris is doing a sideways shuffle? If this had been a unanimous hit with the Great British Public he'd have been leading the parade. However with MP Ben Wallace and his team and the - there's no other word for it - smear campaign against Pen, he's going to be wary until it's off the front pages.

The Sunday Times, quoting a senior official in Whitehall, predicted that the animals from Pen’s Nozad animal charity in Kabul could be condemned to death despite all the efforts and controversy to get them out of the country.

‘If they turn out to be riddled with disease, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) will have to put them down,’ the official is quoted as saying.

Ah, those senior officials and government sources, all nameless .. That word "riddled" with disease - they've been under vet care in Kabul and I find it disgusting that it's suggested these animals haven't been treated. It's just disgusting.

Someone on this thread stated on Sunday that she despised Pen Farthing after skim reading (and mis quoting) an article. Let me say - I met him briefly in 2011, five minute conversation, and I liked him a lot.

And I hope there is an investigation into how the voicemail from a private individual to a Government worker was leaked to the Sunday Times. A thorough investigation. and I hope Pen sues the buggers.

Jeremy Vine will be interviewing Pen on his radio program today, he's just said.

I'm afraid none of this will matter to those left behind, many knowing they are likely to be faced with an unspeakable death.

Would I prioritise animals over humans - no. Will those left find someone to blame without reading the Gransnet "thread of all knowledge" - yes.

This country is renowned for treating its pets better than some of its citizens. Some organisations and people anthropomorphise them to get money out of pensioners pockets to look after them. There is no way the removal of animals from Afghanistan while people are left behind can be made to look good except to those who treat animals in this way. Facts will not change the optics of this action from the point of view of those left behind. I am not surprised Johnson is washing his hands in public.

I suspect that those left behind will blame the US and UK governments for not having the means to get them out. I don't expect they'll be blaming some ex-Marine and his animals.

Of course you do Alegrais.

?

Some organisations and people anthropomorphise them to get money out of pensioners pockets to look after them

Yes they do but then charities have been doing that for years - guilt tripping people with million pound ads to get them to donate. Some people’s animals are all they have. Animals have served us well and far, far more animals suffer appallingly than those that are treated as equals.

Animals haven’t brought us to this situation; humans have as we always do. Humans are the cause of all the suffering on this planet, aside from nature. One particular human has a lot to answer for in this crisis but he’s a busy man judging by how often he checks his watch! Then again, naybe he doesn’t know what day it is, nevermind what time.

Alegrias1

Jeremy Vine will be interviewing Pen on his radio program today, he's just said.

Are we listening Grans?

Would I prioritise animals over humans - no.

And nobody has.

However there are some people who are completely unable to read up about this case and what's happened.

Why is this? God only knows

Alegrias1

I suspect that those left behind will blame the US and UK governments for not having the means to get them out. I don't expect they'll be blaming some ex-Marine and his animals.

Fallacious argument. I was not blaming some ex-Marine and his animals. I was not "blaming" anyone. I just think that it was a poor thing to do when we are leaving those who helped us, those whose lives our country has affected, behind.

I just listened to the famous foul-mouthed voicemail on Jeremy Vine. The one released by the MoD. Where he prioritises humans over animals at every point. And he swears like a trooper, which is what he was of course.

Then somebody blamed him for not staying with the animals in the UK and making sure they had "settled in". Aye, OK.

Zoejory

*Would I prioritise animals over humans - no.*

And nobody has.

However there are some people who are completely unable to read up about this case and what's happened.

Why is this? God only knows

They obviously did. Animals came to the UK, people who needed to didn't.

It happened. I don't think it is a good look; I do think it is cruel to the people left behind. I wish it hadn't happened. nothing I have read has persuaded me that it was a good thing to do. It isn't that I haven't read your argument; it's that it hasn't convinced me.

PippaZ

I'm afraid none of this will matter to those left behind, many knowing they are likely to be faced with an unspeakable death.

Would I prioritise animals over humans - no. Will those left find someone to blame without reading the Gransnet "thread of all knowledge" - yes.

This country is renowned for treating its pets better than some of its citizens. Some organisations and people anthropomorphise them to get money out of pensioners pockets to look after them. There is no way the removal of animals from Afghanistan while people are left behind can be made to look good except to those who treat animals in this way. Facts will not change the optics of this action from the point of view of those left behind. I am not surprised Johnson is washing his hands in public.

But it was never ever ever an issue of animals over humans. How after 17 pages has that not registered ..

The big picture is that the UK didn't expect the timescale of this, and the process wasn't in place to get as many as were needed out. The Afghan Army weren't ready to take responsibility for their country when the US and UK and other nations left - and none of those other countries could have managed without the US forces there. The US had the infrastructure in place,

Distraction and smoke screens - the Foreign Secretary knowing that this was happening, knowing these were the dates that the withdrawal would be in place, and was on holiday. Not enough people in place in Kabul to process the numbers of Afghans wanting and needing to get out. Bagram Airbase was under US control until they pulled out in early July 2021 - could have had so many more airlifts than just Kabul.

Blaming one bloke is a nonsense in my opinion. Thousands left behind because of this - it just isn't possible! We are being played by the UK Government to cover their shoddy planning.

I am not going to facilitate your pile on.

Your arguments, which I have read, do not convince me.

In the name of the wee man.....

I'm sure the Government will be pleased you've swallowed their take on this, PippaZ

It has been suggested that Johnson’s wife intervened to get the animals to the U.K.

None of the staff working with Farthing were allowed to come to the U.K.

They obviously did. Animals came to the UK, people who needed to didn't.

I wonder why more people aren't outraged by the fact that they managed to find space for an SUV in between the people on an evacuation flight?

Zoejory

I'm sure the Government will be pleased you've swallowed their take on this, PippaZ

Fallacious argument. I have never said I believe anything the government has said.

Will you please stop misrepresenting what I have said. I disagree with you; nothing you have put forward has convinced me. Your argument, such as it is, has not changed my point of view. Live with it; the world will not come to an end.