Rescuer's safe with 180 cats and dogs

ANIMAL rescuer Pen Farthing was thought to be the last British civilian to leave Kabul airport – along with 180 cats and dogs.

- JOHN WARD

The ex-Royal Marine boarded a privately chartered plane hours after all nonmilitary Britons – including ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow – had gone.

Yesterday the Ministry of Defence confirmed the last dedicated flight purely for the evacuation effort from Afghanistan had left the airport.

And a final planeload of British troops departed last night, in a C-17 aircraft packed with soldiers from 2 and 3 PARA.

Pen, 57, had tried to get Afghan staff from his Nowzad charity on his aircraft but they were stopped at the airport.