Ex-Royal Marine in Kabul loses contact with wife and pregnant manager of his dog rescue centre as pair get 'crushed in stampede to airport' - and says he'll hold PM 'responsible if they are hurt'

A former Royal Marine Commando who runs an animal rights charity in Afghanistan revealed today that he has lost contact with his wife and pregnant manager after they were crushed in a stampede at Kabul Airport.

Pen Farthing, who is founder of the Nowzad charity which is backed by celebrities including Ricky Gervais and Judi Dench, said he would hold Boris Johnson 'personally responsible' if his wife or staff members were injured.

Mr Farthing, who set up the organisation after befriending a stray dog while serving in Helmand in 2006, is urging the UK Government to fly 71 people linked to the charity from Afghanistan to Britain after the Taliban seized Kabul.

The 52-year-old, who wife is a Norwegian named Kaisa Helene, said the charity was working on plans to evacuate 100 cats and 100 dogs on a charter plane along with his team and their dependants which could cost £200,000.

But he said some of the older and injured dogs at the shelter are 'going to have to be put to sleep' because there is 'no other option' - and pointed out that the Taliban banned dog ownership when they were last in power.

Mr Farthing, who is currently in Afghanistan with his staff and has said he is determined not to leave the country without them, said in a Facebook video today: 'We're working on plans for those (the animals) - they are all still fine. The Taliban have actually moved next door though, but they haven't come to see us yet.'

And he tweeted today: 'My wife is at the north gate of Kabul Airport being crushed in the stampede to get with my 34 week pregnant country manager. The UK military will not come out to rescue them. Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab - anything happens, I will hold you personally responsible.'

Former Royal Marine Commando Pen Farthing works with his Norwegian wife Kaisa Helene and their team in Kabul

Dame Judi Dench praises Pen Farthing as she warns 'so much constructive work will be destroyed'

Dame Judi Dench loves animals so much she once gave her ailing pet goldfish mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

So it has caused great heartache for the 86-year-old national treasure that women who were trained as vets for a British-run animal charity in Afghanistan are marooned out there and at risk of death.

She's desperately worried about those working for Nowzad and is lobbying the Prime Minister to issue visas for the Afghan animal aid workers.

'So much constructive work will be destroyed,' she tells me. 'Pen Farthing and his team at Nowzad have achieved so much in terms of animal welfare and educational work benefiting the local community. Particularly for the women Nowzad has sponsored to become qualified vets. All of their lives are now threatened by the Taliban.'

'British and Americans. And as a Royal Marine Commando, I am absolutely furious with these soldiers because they refused to go out of that camp to rescue those people to get them inside the safety of Kabul Airfield.

'Boris Johnson and all of the senior staff of this government need to know what a complete cluster they are making of this withdrawal from Afghanistan. People are going to die. Outside it is not secure.'

He added: 'And if the British military are there and they will not get outside and rescue some of the people that they've been sent to get out of Kabul safely, then what is the point in them being here?'

Mr Farthing said the British and Americans - 'especially' US President Joe Biden - had created 'undue panic and stress' with the withdrawal from Afghanistan and 'nothing is going to be achieved'.

He continued: 'There are still thousands of Afghans trying to fight to get into an airfield, to get on an aeroplane to escape the mess he made. At the moment I don't know where my wife is.

'They managed to pull out my country manager to get her out of the crush along with her one-and-a-half-year-old son. And they are now trying to make their way back to another secure location near to Kabul airfield.

'And I'm being told by the authorities that they have to come into this secure location by the British military again. Somebody needs to get a grip. If they are injured or hurt, I will personally hold Boris Johnson and the whole of this government to account. This is not acceptable.'

Mr Farthing said: 'Of course they airlifted the embassy staff. That airport is not secure. I am getting fed up of the politicians trying to convince the world they've got a handle on this. They do not.

'This is a masterclass, an absolute masterclass in how to do everything wrong in a withdrawal from a country that we have completely messed up.

'We cannot get to Kabul Airport. Outside of that perimeter, the Taliban now control everything. There are thousands, thousands of desperate Afghans who are trying to get into an airport.

'And in between you've got the State Department or you've got the Foreign Office saying 'please make your way to the airport and when you get here, then you can get a flight out'.

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick. Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o

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