Hoping Nowzad Animal Rescue in Kabul is okay...

[Tobi]

My kind wishes to Nowzad Animal Rescue.

Nowzad was formed years ago by a British ex-military man Pen Farthing, who saw the plight of street dogs and other animals in Afghanistan  and they have done a great job ever since, organising adoptions all over the world. They have Afghani vets and helpers working for them.

https://www.nowzad.com/

Now, with the Taliban takeover of Kabul (capital of Afghanistan) more or less assured, everyone has fled today as foreigners are allowed to leave, and one can only hope the animals have been shipped elsewhere in a timely way.

The last news I read about this was from June 11th on the Nowzad website.

My kind and supportive wishes for them.

[Catherine]

I never even thought about the animal rescues in Afghanistan. Since you posted this, the radio station I listen to said that the president has fled Kabul and the city has fallen. I hope people who needed to flee have escaped and I hope they have gotten the animals from the rescue out. They will have no chance under the Taliban.
How is it possible after all those years of war for things to fall so quickly. 
It will not be a time of mercy for stray animals.

If I hear anything I will post it right away.

[Catherine]

I found a more recent article about the Nowzad shelter.   It is not clear what is happening or what they can do for the animals. They are trying.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...elter.html

Clearly things are going badly for everyone. The man who started the shelter knows how bad it is. I don't think anyone was prepared for how fast the Taliban would move.  They are trying to fly the animals to safety. I don't know if it is possible. They already know some animals may have to be put down.
It doesn't look good. If I hear anything else I will post it right away.

[Catherine]

I found a more recent article.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/18/world/tal...index.html

The situation is very uncertain. There is hope of most of the people and animals being rescued. Sadly not all can be rescued.
If things go wrong, anything could happen. All we can do is wait and hope. If I hear anything I will post it right away.

[LPC]

I read on BBC News that Pen Farthing was refusing to leave without his local staff being offered evacuation and the animals being taken care of:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58240838

He is still there, AFAIK, although his wife left on a nearly-empty plane. He hopes that the UK Govt. will help. I hope so, too, very much, but this current Govt. is not to be trusted (Raab even refused to interrupt his holiday to discuss the situation by phone) and is offering smooth sounding words and little action. Even those who protected the British Embassy as guards have been refused help! https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/a...protection

[Catherine]

I can't find any more recent articles. I still can't believe how fast things happened in Afghanistan.
Plans for evacuation were not enough. They were not fast enough. They are leaving vulnerable people behind so they were not comprehensive enough. 
In the midst of all this a shelter full of vulnerable animals  is probably not high  priority. I think the governments should be responding and sending help. 
Just fly any people and animals at risk out of the country. Figure out where they belong later. If they bring them to safety, then they have a later to figure out. If governments stall as usual then things could end badly.

I fear for the shelter and its people.

[Catherine]

This is the latest article I can find.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58318898

Having read it, I have no idea what is going on.

Then there is this article.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15957676/m...-refugees/

We won't know for sure until this is over.
I just hope they can all get out safely.

[LPC]

More empty promises from the UK Govt. Pen Farthing says that no written confirmation has been received of the right of his staff to receive UK visas. Without such formal confirmation, they would not get through the Taliban to the airport.

The BBC article, predictably, takes a pro-Govt line (just look at the headline!), whilst the "Sun" gives much more detail. Pen Farthing's supporters have raised the money for a private charter - and is even offering for the unfilled seats to be used for any persons the Govt. selects. So, in effect, Pen is helping lots of people, not just his own staff, plus the dogs and cats in the hold. He has a good heart. Yet the Defence Secretary, Wallace, has crudely labelled the plan "bo...cks".

Dogs and cats are not terrorists. They can be transported without any risk of stabbings or shootings in the UK. Wallace would do better to spend his time checking on the people being transported. Some security risks have already been found amongst those transported to the UK (and also France, BTW).

[LPC]

Important update: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58328966

[Catherine]

This article may be more of the same, but it is listed as more recent on my news feed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/a...from-kabul

I am not making sense of what the government minister is saying. 
The Nowzad rescue plane would transport the animals in the hold of the plane. The rescue staff, who are very vulnerable, would travel in the body of the plane.
The rest of the plane would be filled with people who are waiting at the airport.  I can't see a downside to this rescue. People who are waiting will not object to taking a flight that has animals in the hold. They will just be glad to get on any plane.

I did see a picture of a transport plane full of people and a large car. If they had left the car behind they could have put many more people on the plane.