The Duchess of Cambridge heard of the emotional toll on military personnel who helped evacuate desperate Afghans from their home country in the wake of the Taliban’s seizure of power.
Kate visited RAF Brize Norton and met those who took part in Operation Pitting, which saw more than 15,000 people airlifted out of Kabul during August.
The entirety of the base was involved in the rescue, with a full fleet of RAF transport aircraft flying around the clock throughout the mission.
More than 850 people touched down there after fleeing the hardline Islamist group, and were fed, clothed, and given the medical help they needed.
The royal, dressed in navy belted trousers, a beige blazer and cream top, was said to have expressed her ‘thanks and her pride’ in the job all those involved in the operation had done.
While speaking to a group of personnel, Kate commented on how some of the rescue flights included ‘babies, tiny babies’.
She tweeted afterwards: ‘Thank you to all the incredible people involved in #OperationPitting, the largest humanitarian aid operation for over 70 years, which saw 15,000 people flown out of Kabul in August by the @RoyalAirForce.’
During the chaotic final days, Prince William reportedly ‘intervened’ to get an Afghan officer’s family out of the fallen capital.
The Duke was said to have heard about the former cadet who he knew from his days at Sandhurst, and reportedly made personal calls to get his family out.
The Government has promised to permanently resettle people who are most at risk from the Taliban – such as people who helped the British military – in the UK.
Up to 5,000 people will find refuge in Britain this year, while 20,000 will be welcomed in the ‘longer term’.
At the time, around mid-August, the Prime Minister said this country ‘owes a debt of gratitude to all those who have worked with us to make Afghanistan a better place over the last 20 years’.
But critics from opposition parties said the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme did ‘not meet the scale of the challenge’ while calling for a ‘more urgent plan of action’.
This all comes after an Isis suicide bombing killed 13 US soldiers and dozens of Afghans at the airport in Kabul.
The Taliban condemned this terrorist attack but has gone on to be strongly suspected of violence against women, protestors and journalists.
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