‘Very Few’ Civilian Flights Still to Leave Afghanistan

Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade who returned from helping in operations to evacuate people from Kabul airport in Afghanistan disembark a RAF Voyager aircraft after landing at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, England, on Aug. 28, 2021. Alastair Grant/PA

Civilian evacuations from Afghanistan will finish on Saturday, the head of the UK armed forces has said as troops prepared to head home following a “heartbreaking” effort.

General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said Operation Pitting—the effort to evacuate UK nationals and eligible Afghans from Kabul airport—had “gone as well as it could do in the circumstances.”