Prince William saves Afghan officer and family by intervening to get them onto rescue plane to Britain

By Jenny Smith 3 September, 2021 2 mins read 1045 Views

THE DUKE of Cambridge personally intervened to make sure an Afghan officer and his family were able to board a flight from Kabul to Britain.

Prince William, 39, heard about the plight of the former cadet and asked his personal officer to make some calls on his behalf.

William, 39, called upon his personal officer to help an Afghan officer and his family get back to the UK

Members of the UK Armed Forces taking part in the evacuation of entitled personnel from Kabul airport in Afghanistan

William asked his Naval officer Rob Dixon to contact officers to ensure the Afghan was able to make it safely to the UK with his family, according to The Telegraph.

Lieutenant Commander Dixon, who started work with the Duke last September, successfully contacted the relevant personnel – and the group were allowed to board a flight back to the UK.

The Afghan officer, who is thought to have served with the Afghan National Army, had been integral to the British military operation in Afghanistan and had been working closely with British troops.

His position meant his family of more than 10, including women and children, would have been incredibly vulnerable.

All were eligible to leave the country but fell short during the chaotic scenes on the ground.

It comes amid horrific scenes of bloodshed and anguish outside the airport – with babies separated from mums and two devastating bomb attacks.

Commissioning officers, Special Forces, and soldiers from 2 Para, 16 Air Assault Brigade who began the evacuation operation on the ground, are understood to have been aware of the Duke’s intervention.

As the US-led withdrawal from Afghanistan drew to a close last month, there was mass panic at Kabul airport as hundreds of desperate Afghans tried to flee.

DESPERATE PLEA FOR HELP

It comes as more than 15,000 refugees rescued by UK troops from the Taliban have been staying in quarantine since being evacuated from Afghanistan.

On Sunday the UK’s few remaining troops and diplomats boarded the final flight out of Kabul’s airport.

In less than two weeks, more than 15,000 people have been airlifted to safety, including 5,000 British nationals, thanks to Operation Pitting.

RAF pilots flew 261,000 miles to carry evacuees to safety — among them 8,000 vulnerable Afghans, many of whom worked for the UK as interpreters or embassy officials.