A former member of the British Marines was trying to evacuate almost 100 dogs and 80 cats by plane from Afghanistan before the deadline set by the Taliban. He was also trying to take dozens of Afghan citizens out of the country by the same route but is met with resistance from the British authorities, who said that they had other priorities.
Paul Farthing is very concerned. Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, he fears for the many dogs and cats that were cared for in the shelters he created, as well as for the Afghans who worked there. He began an operation to remove them by plane from the territory before the end of the month, but, as the New York Post reported on Wednesday, August 25, he faced great difficulties.
Paul Farthing, 57, is a former soldier. He served in the Royal Marines and decided to settle in Afghanistan to establish a shelter for homeless animals. As a result, he built 3 shelters there in different cities.
The man is also the founder of Nowzad, an organization that helps soldiers who adopted dogs in Afghanistan.
6 days left until the Taliban ultimatum
Thanks to the donations received, the former Marine soldier now has the necessary funds to evacuate 94 dogs, 79 cats, and 68 Afghan refugees by plane, including those who worked in his shelters. The operation must be carried out before August 31, the deadline set by the fundamentalist movement for the withdrawal of foreign troops and citizens.
However, this initiative does not enjoy the support of the British authorities, according to which this evacuation is not considered a priority compared to others. Ben Wallace, the British Defense Minister, mentions the case of ” thousands of people, some of whom are really under direct threat because of what they have done over the past 20 years.” For the minister, “the priority is to take care of these people,” and it is impossible to ” put them aside to allow the consideration of some other cases.”
Therefore, the situation of Paul Farthing’s henchmen is worrying, and a solution should be found as soon as possible. The biggest fear for the former soldier who is still there is that he will have to euthanize the animals because he cannot take them out of the country.
