Before I start this column I will point out that I am an animal lover and I have had numerous pets over the years, but I stand with Defence Minister Ben Wallace who said that he wouldn´t “prioritise pets over people.” I am talking about the Nowzad animal charity and Paul Farthing and his 200 dogs and cats in Kabul.
What is happening in Afghanistan is an absolute disgrace, millions of people who were promised freedom and democracy are now governed by the Taliban, probably one of the most evil regimes on earth. Furthermore, thousands of Afghans who helped the allied forces have been left behind and their fate is very much unclear.
When the Paul Farthing story broke last week, mothers were at Kabul airport throwing their babies over the wire into the hands of allied soldiers just to get them out of the Kabul hell-hole. Hundreds of thousands of people were desperate to leave.
To be honest I was sickened by what I saw, sickened that so many servicemen and women had given their lives for it to end in this way, sickened by what I see as a retreat from a country which was promised protection and sickened that the evacuation was so desperate and disorganised.
I was horrified and disgusted to read that British soldiers had been taken away from their evacuation tasks to help Farthing and his pets. There is a time for everything and this wasn´t the time. I am glad to say that Farthing and his pets were able to get out, unfortunately many loyal Afghans were not.