The first flight of evacuated personnel landed at RAF Brize Norton in the UK from Kabul late last night.

The flight consisted of British Embassy staff and British citizens, say the Ministry of Defence.

As part of Operation PITTING, the UK Armed Forces are enabling the evacuation of British personnel from Afghanistan.

“On Sunday 16th August the first flight of evacuated personnel arrived at RAF Brize Norton in the UK. The flight constituted of British Embassy staff and British Nationals.
British forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade arrived in the Afghan capital over the weekend on Op PITTING to support the evacuation of British Nationals and former British staff eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP).”

British transport aircraft including four C-17s, one A400M, one C-130 and three Voyagers were involved in evacuation efforts.

600 British military personnel had deployed to Afghanistan on a short term basis to assist British nationals to leave.

The UK Government say that UK troops were there provide force protection and logistical support for the relocation of British nationals where required and assist with the acceleration of the ‘Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy’, you can read more about this below.

UK sending 600 troops to Afghanistan to evacuate citizens

 

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
2 years ago

Desperate stuff to be seen on Twitter.

Apache is being used to clear the area around runway by flying low or in the hover to clear hundreds of people away from the runway, as they are climbing on moving C17s taxying to depart.

Some can be seen falling to their deaths after falling from the wings or undercarriages.

Deep32
Deep32
2 years ago

Mate, its a complete shambles! Never thought I’d say this, but, thank heaven that some part of the Trump deal is still working! Either that or we are paying big bucks so we can evacuate our people!
Could you imagine the disaster if the entire airport was shut and/or this evacuation was being contested by the Taliban?
Its going to take some logistical effort to get all those people(entitled?) and that kit out as it is.
The fallout from this will be interesting now that the blame game has started!

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
2 years ago
Reply to  Deep32

Who provides overwatch for the last plane to go? And then how do they get out? I assume the helicopters are all loaded on C17. Maybe Ospreys and USMC with RPAV’s and USN fighters overhead? Takes one renegade Taliban with one of the lost Manpads to have a go and get lucky past the countermeasures. I noted the DS Wallace at least has some humanity in him. Was visibly emotional on TV interview earlier. Crocodile tears? Does not seem that way at all. I’m always impressed with him as DS. Keep our C130’s. Get proper AAR on Chinook and Merlin.… Read more »

Deep32
Deep32
2 years ago

Wouldn’t disagree with any of that Daniele, I would put AAR on our Atlas flt too (AT contract allowing). Although are the Voyagers not just doing the UK shuttle run from Dubai to Brize with people? I watched his interview on TV this morning, thought it was genuine and he came across well. He gets some bad press at times, not sure it’s deserved though! The last few aircraft to leave will be interesting as you say. This has certainly shown up some shortcomings in our OC with some of our assets, it will certainly highlight the dance deficiency with… Read more »

Deep32
Deep32
2 years ago
Reply to  Deep32

Dance!!! Should be range, P txt, who invented it!!!!

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
2 years ago
Reply to  Deep32

They are. Was just suggesting for future operations at range.

Robert Blay.
Robert Blay.
2 years ago

Agree mate. Saw that interview too, felt for the guy. Many serving and ex serving will understand how he feels. So many people have been affected by Afghanistan. The injuries, the mental scares. The families eager for young men & women to come home safely during countless deployments. Some lovely people in Afghanistan despite the stereotypes. Some real characters. 20 years for sweet FA. I only hope the Taliban have learnt their own lessons from the past and don’t return to the dark age’s. If they want to stay in control, they will have to accept the world has moved… Read more »

Donaldson
Donaldson
2 years ago

MPs and Twitter folks asking why HMS Queen Elizabeth isn’t helping and we obviously know why, But imagine we had Ospreys onboard and our A400s had A2A capability to refuel them..

Can we add that to your shopping list please

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
2 years ago
Reply to  Donaldson

So next week a surprise HMG order for 20 CV22 to equip HMS POW!

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago

Horrendous Daniele, history repeats itself doesn’t it, the same in Danang in 75 as people fell from undercarriage into the sea….

I see Blair has still kept his massive gob shut for once … He’s one of the architects of this mass of human misery.

God help all the women of Afghanistan, the female Afghan head of education defiantly remained at her desk yesterday, what an incredibly brave woman …. I doubt she lived to see the sun rise this morning. What an utter bloody mess…

Last edited 2 years ago by John Clark
Deep32
Deep32
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

To be fair John, and I can’t stand the man, we were right imo to go in and sort AQ and OBL. Unfortunately we seem to have lost our way a bit since then. Call it mission creep, call it what you will, if we had left soon after without having had to put all those boots on the ground, and followed a more diplomatic approach, who knows it might have been different. It’s no good second guessing , it is what it is and we will need to suck it up and move forward. But yes a bloody mess… Read more »

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago
Reply to  Deep32

Absolutely, we are where we are.

I absolutely blame Blair and Bush junior for the decision to dig in and play nation building in Afghanistan. It was totally doomed from the very start, a propped up joke of a Government and systems of state, that couldn’t have stood on its own two feet if we stayed 100 years..

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

Spot on John.

dan
dan
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

There should be a law in both countries that says no more nation building!

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago
Reply to  dan

Hard to disagree with that Dan, specifically with countries that are so totally alien to Western philosophy…

Meirion x
Meirion x
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

No problem with the original intervention, should of left by 2004!

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
2 years ago
Reply to  Meirion x

Exactly. I’m not against intervention or killing the enemy. It’s the occupation where it goes wrong.

dan
dan
2 years ago
Reply to  Meirion x

Shouldn’t have invaded them in the first place. We should have learned from Russia’s disaster there. But no. We always think things will be different because everyone wants to be free and live in a democracy. Unfortunately that isn’t always true.

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago
Reply to  Meirion x

Agreed…

Adrian
Adrian
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

Problem is and always has been in Afghanistan and Iraq is that the west doesn’t want to be seen to occupy them but doesn’t like the governments who win through. Always was going to be a disaster since the withdrawal announcement.

Flanders Pigeon Murderer
Flanders Pigeon Murderer
2 years ago

The channel’s going to get a whole lot busyer.

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago

Hey Flanders Pigeon murderer, do you also answer to Speckled Jim🤣

dan
dan
2 years ago

Sure hope the transports don’t take any ANA personal. Let the Taliban do what they want with them.

dan
dan
2 years ago

I’m sure the US intel aircraft, ect so the mass convoys of Taliban heading towards Kabul but Biden or his Defense Secretary told them not to attack them. Just give them free passage. A total disgrace.

coll
coll
2 years ago

No doubt we will get an influx of cultural enrichment, no go zones and censorship laws like after our last dose of intervention.

JohnG
JohnG
2 years ago
Reply to  coll

Bit of a strongly worded post, but it’s fair to bring up concerns around who is coming into the country, how they will be vetted, where they will live etc. It’s such a shame, if we had sensible levels of immigration people would be 100% on board with this, as morally I personally believe it’s the right thing to do. Issue is, we have serious problems with immigration in this country, which no MP wants to deal with, serious problems with lack of social integration and a serious problem with Islamic extremism. All that said, I’m still jolly glad we… Read more »

coll
coll
2 years ago
Reply to  JohnG

I have no faith in our government and MPs to properly vet people with incompatible values.

Steve
Steve
2 years ago

We have been here before in 1842 when 4500 British soldiers and 12000 dependents were killed in a withdrawal from Kabul! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1842_retreat_from_Kabul

coll
coll
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve

No wonder it’s called the Graveyard of Empires.

Graham
Graham
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve

I don’t see that our Nationals are being massacred in the exodus.

Airborne
Airborne
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve

Went through the Khoord-Kabul pass in 2001….enlightening to say the least after reading the story of 1842.

Norman L. Ocampo
Norman L. Ocampo
2 years ago

What a WASTE of time, energy, money, and lives, the Afghanistan debacle will forever haunt us, what also happens in Saigon bring those BITTER memories, America never learns on its failures, BETTER for us STOP dipping our fingers in other people’s war, many American youths sacrificed their limbs and life to change the attitude of these people. It’s time for us to help only those people who want to HELP themselves, we cannot change the perception of other people’s FANATICAL minds towards religion, it is just nonsense…

dan
dan
2 years ago

People keep electing idiots and this stuff will continue to happen. I don’t see that ever changing.

Graham
Graham
2 years ago

Not just America’s tragedy. 42 nations in the ISAF mission and many had soldiers killed or wounded.

Norman L. Ocampo
Norman L. Ocampo
2 years ago
Reply to  Graham

As an a American taxpayer, we shouldered a LOT, lives and money, thanks to our allies in Europe…