This archive report was first published on 28 August 2021.
As the August 31 deadline for US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan approaches, the UK is winding down its evacuation operation in Kabul. The UK defence ministry has evacuated over 13,000 people in the last 14 days, but General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, has admitted that it will be heartbreaking to leave behind those who have not been able to make the journey.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Saturday, General Carter said: 'We have some civilian flights to take out but it's very few now.' He added that the remaining aircraft will be used to bring out British troops, leaving behind hundreds of eligible Afghans who have not been evacuated.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to 'shift heaven and earth' to help those left behind, while Foreign Minister Dominic Raab confirmed that two British nationals and the child of another British citizen were killed in Thursday's bomb attack at Kabul airport.
General Carter warned that the last few days will be 'a very demanding operation', with the threat from the regional Islamic State chapter 'not gone away'. The UK will continue to focus on evacuating British nationals, but those who manage to leave after the deadline will be welcome in the UK.
