Ben Wallace says he’ll ‘prioritise people over pets’ amid row with animal welfare boss in Afghanistan

Pen Farthing says he’s been ‘abandoned’ by defence secretary in Kabul

Ben Wallace has insisted he will “prioritise people over pets” in the Afghanistan evacuation amid a row with a former Royal Marine turned animal welfare charity boss who claims to have been “abandoned” in the country.

The defence secretary also accused Paul Farthing — known as “Pen” — of talking “bollocks” after he suggested he had been left by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to fend for himself in Kabul.

Mr Farthing founded the Nowzad animal shelter in Kabul rescuing dogs, cats and donkeys after serving with the British Army in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s.

Since the Taliban seized the country last week, he has been campaigning to have all his staff and their families, alongside 140 dogs and 60 cats, evacuated from the country in a plan he has dubbed “Operation Ark”.

Mr Farthing said he had fundraised enough money to charter a private aircraft into Kabul International Airport with capacity for 250 passengers, but was still awaiting crucial documents from the MoD.

But in an update on Monday evening, the veteran claimed he had been “left to fend for myself” in Kabul and had been “cut off” from the MoD by the defence secretary’s special adviser.

“22 year marine left behind lines,” he added. “Neither my staff or animals will get out now — cheers Boris Johnson”.

In response the defence secretary, however, told LBC radio “that’s bollocks”, insisting Mr Farthing was contacted on Friday to come forward for processing and urged him to “take advantage of the route out”.

In a separate interview on Sky News, Mr Wallace said the animal welfare charity boss had done an “amazing” job in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

He claimed that “no one” was blocking the charter flight, instead arguing: “If that aircraft flew in today it would probably sit, it would block the airfield, it would sit there empty because it’s about getting the flow [of people] through the gate, through the barriers and into the airport and onto the aircraft”.

Mr Wallace insisted that a charter flight was no “magic wand”, saying: “The magic wand is whether people can get through Kabul through the Taliban checkpoints and then through the 3,000—plus people, some of whom are waiting in front of the queue because they are under real threat, direct threat from the Taliban right now.”

He said: “I’m not prepared to prioritise pets over people. I want people to come through that flow.”

Pen Farthing – founder of animal rescue charity Nowzad. (PA)

The defence secretary added:“He [Mr Farthing] has been told that his people and him are eligible to re-settle in the UK — as a British passport holder, so is he.”

“But frankly, my day job and my evening job is focusing on those thousands of people outside the front gate. He’s been offered a place — last Friday he was called forward. I strongly recommend he does that.

“Once the evacuation is over, I genuinely believe his workforce and if he wants to repatriate the pets that he looks after and the strays, I genuinely believe that they will be allowed to move forward at a later date when that airport opens, but frankly, I have to prioritise people at the moment over pets.”

After Mr Wallace’s interviews on Tuesday morning , however, Mr Farthing said he had never asked the government to prioritise pets over people. “At no point have I ever said that whatsoever,” he stressed.

He said: “We’ve got a flight, and we’ve said we will wait, you’ve just got to give us this call sign so we can actually get in play, we can get the airline to start flight plans.

“I’d like to point out that while the prime minister has actually said our staff will be granted their visas to travel to England, I’ve got absolutely no confirmation — nothing in writing. So if I get stopped at a Taliban checkpoint, they’ll get turned around. He absolutely knows, Mr Wallace, that I said I am not leaving here without my staff.”

He added: “I’m not going to go to the airport and just on an aeroplane so his problem goes away — that’s not going to happen. I served my country for 22 years and the MoD has cancelled my emergency line that I had so that I can get updates on the situation. He has abandoned me here in Afghanistan and wants me to go quietly.

“Not going to happen Mr Wallace, not on my watch. You’re dealing with the wrong person”.