What the Afghan animal airlift says about Britain

The evacuation of Pen Farthing and his pets from Afghanistan this week is not a ‘feel-good’ story. It is not a charmingly eccentric rescue mission. It’s a moral abomination that shames Britain. While American soldiers lifted their dead for their final flight home, British soldiers were carrying dogs onto a plane. When time was running out to get people who served with us out alive, ministers were sponsoring clearance for his charter flight and senior commanders were dealing with his supporters.

Before we go any further, I’d like to be clear about one thing: I don’t particularly blame Pen. I’d probably want to get my pets out of a warzone too. I blame the government for going along with it, and for that I blame the British public too. This one is on us. 

Put yourself, for the briefest moment, in the shoes of one of the Afghans left behind. Jamal Barak worked as an interpreter for British soldiers in Afghanistan.