Afghanistan: a British evacuation of 200 dogs and cats is controversial – franceinfo

@defencehqpress On the direction of the Defense Secretary, clearance for their charter flight has been sponsored by the UK Government.

– Ministry of Defense Press Office (@DefenceHQPress) August 27, 2021

“We are relieved to confirm that [Farthing] and the animals left Afghanistan this afternoon and are now safe “, announced on Facebook his association, Nowzad. While the Muslim religion condemns all mistreatment of animals, dogs are not always welcome in the Muslim world. As explained France 24, the disenchantment with the dog dates from about 200 years ago, in particular because of the received idea according to which it would be a vector of microbes and epidemics.

But the repatriation by the British of these endangered animals has met with a flurry of criticism in the face of the influx of hundreds of Afghans leaving candidates, who have not been granted a seat on a plane and remain stranded in Kabul. The Afghan employees of the association and their relatives were themselves unable to reach the airport to be evacuated. The association promised to “do the best to help them”.

“Not only [Farthing] abandoned its Afghan staff, but they put their dogs on their plane just as the Americans loaded their 13 victims. “ the attack on Thursday, indignant a British defense source quoted by the newspaper The Times.

Initially, the British Secretary of State for Defense, Ben Wallace, announced on Twitter that he wasn’t going “give priority to animals over desperate men, women and children knocking on the door”. But faced with the mobilization of activists for the animal cause and the obstinacy of Paul Farthing, the politician softened his position and opened the door to an evacuation. “At this point, if he arrives with his animals, we will look for a slot for his plane”, he had declared.