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UK evacuation of Kabul enters ‘final stages’

The announcement comes after at least 90 die in an attack outside Kabul Airport.

The Ministry of Defence has said UK armed forces have now entered the final stages of the evacuation operation in Kabul and processing facilities had now closed. More than 13,000 people have been flown by British planes in the past fortnight.

Martha Kearney speaks to an employee of the previous Afghan Government, who says she does not feel safe, and then General Sir Richard Barrons. He was a senior officer when the British withdrew most of its armed forces from Afghanistan in 2014.

The announcement comes after two powerful bomb blasts struck the perimeter of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. The explosions left at least 90 people dead, including 13 US service personnel.

Martha also speaks to an eye witness of the blast by the sewage canal. Following that, she hears from the 91Èȱ¬â€™s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, and afterwards gets the response of the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace.

Following that, Martha speaks to Rossella Miccio, the president of an international humanitarian organisation that is providing free healthcare for people in Afghanistan.

Lastly, the show hears again from Lloyd Comer, a former member of the British Army who recently escaped from Kabul.

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31 minutes

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