Ex-commando refuses to budge from Afghanistan without his animals
Paul 'Pen' Farthing says he will not leave the country without his animal rescue team and the animals under their care
An ex-Royal Marine Commando in Afghanistan has challenged Defence Secretary Rob Wallace to do more and let him, his animal rescue staff as well as the dogs and cats under their care leave the country.
Paul 'Pen' Farthing, originally from Essex, arrived in Afghanistan as part of the Kilo Company of 42 Commando Royal Marines in 2006, before starting a shelter for the stray cats and dogs that roamed the region. He went on to start an international Animal rescue charity Nowzad, based out of the UK and USA.
When the Taliban took over the country last week, Sgt Farthing called on the UK Government to provide visas for his staff members whose lives would now be under threat from the militant group.
Donations flowed for his 'Operation Ark'- to help get the staff and animals out of the country safely and a chartered flight was arranged to pick them up in Kabul. Sgt Farthing now says that the plane has been refused permission to land, and that he has received no confirmation about the visas for his staff. Without a valid visa, the Taliban would not let them enter the airport.
Today, the Defence Secretary, amid mounting criticism, claimed that he prioritised the lives of people over the lives of animals, prompting a fiery rebuttal from Sgt Farthing. Denying that he asked the secretary to make that choice, he told Sky news in an interview: "I'm not going to just get on a plane and solve his problems, that's not going to happen. They (Ministry of Defence) want me to go quiet. Not going to happen, Mr. Wallace, not on my watch."
Mr. Wallace also urged Sgt Farthing to get on a British military plane when given the opportunity, but refused to guarantee safe passage for his staff. To this, the former commando responded by saying, "I'm getting to the airport, with my staff and my animals. We got a flight but we need an ISAF call-sign. If he (Mr. Wallace) doesn't give it to us then he'll be leaving us at Kabul Airport."