Stark warning: ‘Not everybody will make it out’
TIME is running out to evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan as the final flight could leave within days, a defence minister has admitted.
James Heappey warned the Government would not get “absolutely everybody out” as the Taliban could order foreign troops to leave.
British forces will remain until America leaves, as the Ministry of Defence is reliant upon US infrastructure at Kabul’s airport.
And paratroopers from 16th Air Assault Brigade would not be able to defend the airport gates on their own, despite having the second biggest military presence at Hamid Karzai International
Airport – behind
6,000 US troops.
Sources say
British evacuation flights are around three-quarters full, stressing some are packed to capacity.
They said it can take time to complete the processing of British nationals and Afghan allies eligible to board RAF flights to Dubai.
But RAF jets are on such a tight schedule that some have left a third full, sources say.
Some British allies are so terrified of Taliban checkpoints across Kabul they are turning around and heading home again.The Daily Express understands some people called to head to a Kabul hotel, being used as a British processing centre, are taking up to 48 hours to get across the city as they try to avoid Taliban fighters.
Mr Heappey said: “We don’t have it in our gift to say it will last for another five days, 10 days. It is clearly circumstances that are very dynamic.” He added: “As the Defence Secretary has sadly had to say on a number of occasions, the reality is eventually the air bridge will have to close and quite possibly not everybody will have been got out.
“That’s what keeps us awake at night.”
He told Sky News there would be a second phase to the operation under which people would be able to enrol at other British embassies and high commissions in the region and be resettled that way, adding “so even when the air bridge inevitably has to close that’s not the end to people’s chances of being able to come to the UK”.
Afghans are having their passports torn up as they approach the airport, with others beaten and shot at.
‘The reality is eventually the air bridge will have to close. That keeps us awake’