THE latest plane carrying evacuees from Afghanistan to the UK has arrived in the country in the early hours of this morning.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says an RAF Voyager aircraft carrying around 250 people from Kabul landed at the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire soon after midnight.
READ MORE: David Pratt: There are lessons for us all in tragic Afghanistan crisis
MoD figures show more than 11,500 people have now been airlifted to the UK since the evacuation mission Operation Pitting began on August 13 as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan ahead of the US-led withdrawal of western troops from the country.
This includes embassy staff, British nationals, those eligible under the Afghan relocation and assistance policy (Arap) programme, as well as some evacuees from allied countries.
READ MORE: Home Office responds to complaints about emergency Afghanistan helpline
The number of British citizens who still need evacuating, as well as those who hold dual citizenship, remains unclear.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said “every hour” will be used to help people flee and declined to rule out UK forces having to depart by the end of tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the final stages of the evacuation effort in Afghanistan are under further strain after a warning that a “highly lethal” terror attack could be launched within hours.
Armed forces minister James Heappey said there is “very credible reporting” of an “imminent” and “severe” threat to Kabul airport.
He called on those queuing outside Hamid Karzai International Airport to move to safety amid concerns over an affiliate of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan, know as Isis-K.
The threat is heaping extra pressure on the operation to help people flee the nation captured by the Taliban, with Tuesday’s deadline for foreign troops to leave fast approaching.
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