UK to conclude civilian evacuation from Afghanistan today

"We've done an extraordinary job to evacuate as many as we can, but I'm afraid it's absolutely heart-breaking that we can't get everybody out," Britain's Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter said

London: The UK will conclude its evacuation programme of civilians from Afghanistan on Saturday (August 28) with only troops left to be flown out after that ahead of the August 31 exit deadline, Britain's Chief of Defence Staff said. General Sir Nick Carter said during media interviews on Saturday that the country should be "holding its breath" at the challenge ahead amid the threat posed by the local Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) terror group, which has been behind suicide bombings this week as the airlift rescue operations have been underway. Carter said Britain is "not out of the woods yet" as the UK's evacuation efforts following the Taliban takeover draw to a close. "The plain fact is we have always got that in the back of our minds. For the troops on the ground, they have to be constantly alert and constantly thinking about how they can rebut the threat," he told the Sky News. "We should all be holding our breath and thinking of the last aeroplane and what a challenge it will be for those people trying to effect their departure," he said. "We're reaching the end of the evacuation, which will take place during the course of today, and then of course it'll be necessary to bring our troops out on the remaining aircraft," General Carter told the BBC. "It's gone as well as it could do in the circumstances... But we haven't been able to bring everybody out and that has been heartbreaking and there have been some very challenging judgements that have had to be made on the ground," he said.