Afghanistan evacuation to continue after airport attack, with MPs describing 'grim' task of trying to help people flee

Time is running out for the UK to evacuate people from Afghanistan, as Yorkshire MPs have shared some of the harrowing stories of those trying to escape.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Vice Admiral Ben Key (right) as he looks at a map of the Afghanistan region during a visit to Northwood Headquarters, the British Armed Forces Permanent Joint Headquarters, in Eastbury, north west London (PA/Adrian Dennis)Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Vice Admiral Ben Key (right) as he looks at a map of the Afghanistan region during a visit to Northwood Headquarters, the British Armed Forces Permanent Joint Headquarters, in Eastbury, north west London (PA/Adrian Dennis)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Vice Admiral Ben Key (right) as he looks at a map of the Afghanistan region during a visit to Northwood Headquarters, the British Armed Forces Permanent Joint Headquarters, in Eastbury, north west London (PA/Adrian Dennis)

The operation from Kabul airport will continue as planned ahead of the August 31 deadline, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed last night, despite the “barbaric” terror attack at the perimeter which killed at least 72 people.

Politicians trying to assist have said it is “a question of hours now, not days” left to get people out, and have asked officials to “move heaven and earth” to bring people to safety.

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Afghanistan veteran and Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis described recent days as “pretty grim” and has been trying to provide assistance to those he fought alongside, some of whom, he says “don’t know if they will be alive tomorrow.”.

He told The Yorkshire Post he is particularly concerned about “those members of the special forces who are especially vulnerable.”

“I’ve pressed the Secretary of State and others to move heaven and earth to make sure that those especially vulnerable are afforded every opportunity to be evacuated” he said.

“But the system is massively creaking under the weight.”

Mr Jarvis, who deployed twice to Afghanistan, explained: “They are at risk, they are being threatened, they’re desperately trying to get out. A tiny proportion of them have been processed but the majority of them are now on the run in Afghanistan in fear for their future convinced they will be hunted down and killed. These are people we recruited and trained specifically to take on the Taliban.”

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He added: “There are people I know, people I served with who are in mortal peril today, who don’t know if they will be alive tomorrow.”

Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn also stressed the importance of the time pressure, it’s a question of hours now and not days

“The focus understandably has been on british nationals ad arap scheme but we can all see from the television screen how diff it has been for people to get to the airport.”

The decision to continue with the airlift was announced following a top-level Government COBRA meeting on Thursday afternoon following the attack, as Mr Johnson told reporters officials would “keep going up until the last moment”.

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Speaking from Downing Street he said: “The conclusion is that we’re able to continue with the programme in the way that we’ve been running it, according to the timetable we’ve got.

“That’s what we’re going to do because the overwhelming majority of those who are eligible have now been extracted from Afghanistan.

“We’re going to work flat out, the military, the Foreign Office teams, the Home Office, the Border Force teams that are there getting people through as fast as they can still.

“We’re going to keep going up until the last moment, but I want to repeat what I’ve been saying over the last few days: we also fully expect that those who want to leave Afghanistan after this phase one, if you like, are allowed to do that by the Taliban.”

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Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed two blasts occurred in a “complex attack” outside Hamid Karzai International Airport.

A US general said gunmen from so-called Islamic State (IS) had opened fire on civilians, and the terror group later claimed responsibility for the atrocity, according to multiple reports, following earlier suggestions that Afghanistan splinter cell Isis-K was behind the attack.

Officials have said at least 72 people were killed, including 11 US Marines and one US Navy medic, and that more than 150 people were injured, including 15 US service personnel.

The Ministry of Defence said there have been no reported UK military or UK Government casualties.