A former marine from the UK Royal forces has miraculously landed at Heathrow airport after rescuing 179 animals from Kabul.
Pen Farthing made headlines after he refused to leave Kabul without his pets that were a part of his animal shelter in Kabul. Moreover, living just ten minutes away from the Taliban meant that it was going to be a risky affair to pull off the move.
Many referred to his decision as one that was going to be very difficult to pull off. Despite many requests and pleas towards the UK Government to intervene, Pen Farthing who has a well-established welfare organization in Kabul slowly began to lose hope.
Conditions worsened in Kabul with each passing day, as several explosions and gunfire ripped through the city, killing many Afghan civilians and 13 US servicemen. Moreover, Pen claimed that he just narrowly escaped the incident as the Taliban forces aimed their AK-47 rifles towards his vehicle.
“My driver almost got shot,” he worriedly replied. Meanwhile, Farthing spoke about how this was definitely a very grim situation for him. “I just can’t leave my animals and my rescue staff behind,” he cried.
Soon, it was revealed how the security situation in Kabul was intense and for that reason, Farthing would need to leave at the earliest to avoid being stuck. The fact that his Afghan rescue staff did not have visas meant they couldn’t board any flights. Therefore, they felt it was best that he leave as he was in danger of being killed.
But the latest news came out of the UK this morning, as a private chartered flight carrying all 179 animals and Farthing landed safely. Referring to the entire incident as a miracle, the former Marine explained how grateful he was to bring his animals back in a secure manner.
While Farthing is now off to Oslo to see his wife, his pets will need to stay in quarantine for several months.