Prince William.Photo: ANDREW MILLIGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Prince Williamstepped in to help ensure an Afghan army officer and his family were able to leave Kabul in the exodus following the Taliban takeover.
William is understood to have known the man — who has not been named — after training alongside him at Sandhurst Military Academy in 2006.
When he heard of the man’s plight amid the anxious residents hoping to get to, and through, Kabul airportbefore the withdrawalof the American and allied forces, William moved to help,The Daily Telegraphreported Friday.
He asked his equerry, naval officer Lt. Commander Rob Dixon, to contact the troops on the ground to alert the rescuers. Officers and commandoes from 2 Para, 16 Air Assault Brigade who were working on the evacuation were told of William’s intervention, it was reported.
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The Telegraphsaid the Afghan officer had been a key part of the British military operation in Afghanistan. “His position meant his family group of more than 10, comprising several women and children, would have been particularly vulnerable,” the paper reported.
Prince William at Sandhurst.William graduates from Sandhurst; Justin Goff/UK Press/Getty
William was not alone in intervening where he could. General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander Joint Forces Command, told theTelegraphthat other British veterans had stepped in to highlight the cases of Afghan ex-comrades in the country who were also at risk from reprisals from the Taliban. “We all did that. In some cases, the Government knew about them, in some cases they didn’t,” he said.
source: people.com
