Afghanistan Animal Rescue Triggers Dispute Between Charity and British Government
Voice of America
LONDON - As thousands of people were evacuated from Kabul ahead of the final withdrawal of Western troops, the attempted rescue of dozens of veterinary staff and hundreds of animals from a British animal rescue charity in Afghanistan caught the attention of the media and led to a heated dispute between the charity and the British government.
Pen Farthing, founder of the Nowzad Dogs animal sanctuary in Kabul, was a British Royal Marine for 22 years and fought the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2006. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. He set up Nowzad — named after the first dog he rescued — in 2007, and the charity rapidly expanded, employing a local staff of 25, including three of Afghanistan’s first female veterinarians. Describing their emotions when the Taliban seized the capital on August 15, Farthing said, “The three young women I have that work for us, the first-ever female vets in Afghanistan, they are absolutely terrified. There may be reprisals, because, you know, obviously we're a foreign organization. We've helped soldier rescues in the past, so, soldier rescue dogs.”FILE - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi's visit in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released by by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), June 21, 2019. A news program broadcasts file images of a rocket launch by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, May 28, 2024. A rocket launched by North Korea to deploy the country's second spy satellite exploded shortly after liftoff on May 27, state media reported.
A man walks past election posters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), as South Africa prepares for the May 29 general elections, in Soweto, May 24, 2024. African National Congress (ANC) supporters sing songs during the political party's final rally ahead of the upcoming election at FNB stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. May 25, 2024.