British ambassador hails UAE for role in Afghan evacuation effort

Patrick Moody says airlift was made possible thanks to 'generosity and commitment' of Emirati hosts

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  A British Royal Air Force aircraft arrives at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on August 19 after carrying people out of Afghanistan's capital Kabul. All pictures: Pawan Singh / The National

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  The Boeing C-17 transport aircraft is involved in an international effort by countries to extract their nationals and Afghans whose lives may be in danger.

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  Passengers are transferred from the aircraft on to a waiting bus.

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  Passengers from RAF flight ZZ172 arrive at Al Maktoum International Airport.

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  From there they will be transferred to a commercial aircraft to be flown to the UK within the next 24 hours, officials have said.

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  Thousands of people have sought to flee Afghanistan since Taliban militants took control of Kabul.

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  Passengers from the evacuation flight from Kabul wait to be processed at Al Maktoum International Airport.

Related: Hundreds rescued from Afghanistan arrive in Dubai on military flight

The British ambassador to the UAE, Patrick Moody, has hailed the UAE for helping to evacuate British nationals from Afghanistan.

Mr Moody said the UAE had provided every possible assistance from all of its ministries to make the airlift a success.

In a video message recorded at Dubai's Al Maktoum Airport on Thursday, Mr Moody said Dubai was a safe location where people could be safely transferred from Kabul.

He said three flights had arrived on Thursday and five had left for the UK the same day.

"We have already processed 1,600 people and we are bringing through more and more," said Mr Moody.

The envoy thanked his "fantastic" team from the UK government and hailed the UAE's swift moves to help.

"But most of all, it has been possible with the enormous generosity and commitment of our Emirati hosts who made this airport available to us and provided every possible assistance in order to ensure this operation could get up and running in the fastest time possible," said Mr Moody.

"That's from across all their ministries. It is a wonderful demonstration of the kind of partnership that our two countries have confronting such a difficult situation in the world today."

More than 18,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul airport since the Taliban took over the Afghanistan capital, a Nato official told Reuters on Friday.

However, crowds continued to throng outside the airport, desperate to flee, said the official, who declined to be identified.