SOLO RETREAT
Pen Farthing admits defeat as he is forced to leave Afghanistan WITHOUT dogs and 25 staff after Biden changes rules
PEN Farthing has admitted defeat as he's being forced to leave Afghanistan without his rescue dogs and cats and 25 members of staff.
The ex Commando, almost 200 animals and all of his employees were 300 metres inside the airport's perimeter fence when the Taliban told the group they couldn't board a jet.
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It comes after President Joe Biden ";changed policy" on who can access flights out of Kabul.
As the group from organisation Nowzad were turned away, an ISIS-K suicide bomber targeted civilians and US Marines outside the airport gates.
At least 170 people - including 72 Afghan civilians, 12 Marines and a Navy medic - died in the blast.
Pen has now told of his devastation at the end of 'Operation Ark' in an interview with
"We were 300m inside. It had taken 36 hours to achieve that," he said.
"I had all my staff, all dogs and cats 300m inside perimeter.
"We had gone through hell to get there."
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However, he was then told that "Biden had changed policy on who's allowed in" - and the Taliban refused to accept paperwork for his staff.
"We were forced to leave the airfield, and just as we did, that's when those attacks happened and then all hell broke loose," he said.
"As we were trying to flee from the airport, we were getting tear-gassed so we were obviously trying to drive the vehicle when we can't see anything.
"It was just the most horrific thing."
And he said he now believes he'll be forced to leave alone on one of the last evacuation flights out of the city.
"There's nothing I can do. The staff are telling me it's time for me to go. They don't think a foreigner will be welcome here," he said.
There's nothing I can do. The staff are telling me it's time to go
Pen Farthing
"Staff have asked me to take as many dogs and cats as I can. But now I can't get them past the Taliban check points.
"My mission to get them out of Afghanistan has just ended because Joe Biden stopped it."
It comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was forced to defend himself after animal lovers claimed he'd blocked a flight for Pen's rescue cats and dogs.
In a series of tweets, Mr Wallace lashed out at "bullying, falsehoods and threatening behaviour" towards Ministry of Defence staff.
A privately-funded plane had been due to fly from Luton Airport to rescue the group.
But it was cancelled over safety concerns.
One from a country neighbouring Afghanistan was set to be used instead - but pilots say they can't land until Pen is granted entry into the airport.
EX COMMANDO'S HEARTBREAK
Boris Johnson also denied he had had any influence on the rescue attempts yesterday.
He vowed to continue with evacuation flights today, despite the horrific attacks.
But the Ministry of Defence said this morning that the gates of the airport at Kabul have been sealed - and no one else will be called for evacuation.
The last few hours of the rescue mission will focus on airlifting Brits and Afghans already processed and waiting inside the airfield - before getting out our troops and diplomats.
Mr Wallace said in an interview this morning: "The sad fact is not every single one will get out."
And he said more attacks are expected.
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"The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving," he told Sky News.
"The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the US or the UK."
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