UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has complained that dealing with a former Royal Marine trying to fly rescued animals out of Kabul has been a distraction from the main evacuation effort.

According to Sky News, Wallace told MPs: “What I was not prepared to do is prioritise pets over people. I’m afraid you may dislike me for that but that’s my view. There are some very, very desperate people under threat.”

Wallace has staunchly opposed an attempt by former royal marine Paul Farthing to ensure safe passage for 140 dogs and 60 cats being cared for at the Nowzad shelter he founded in Kabul after serving with the British army in Afghanistan.

The case has made headlines in the British media, and Wallace has said that Farthing and his staff would be eligible for a place on an RAF flight out of Kabul, but not the animals.

Nowzad supporters on Tuesday announced a privately chartered Airbus A330 – funded by donations – was on standby to fly to Kabul to rescue the group’s workers and animals.

Wallace said this was still not a “magic wand”.  He said the chartered plane would merely block space on the airfield as the processing of thousands of people trying to leave Kabul would be prioritised over the airlifting of animals.

The former Royal Marine Paul Farthing has said the animals would be transported in the aircraft’s hold and that, once his staff were accommodated, any spare seats could be filled by other people cleared for passage by the UK authorities, with the flight able to take 250 passengers in total.

In a conference call with MPs on Wednesday Ben Wallace said that the case meant the military had been “diverted” from their primary focus on saving people. He also claimed that some of the stories about the Ministry of Defence’s handling of the affair had been inaccurate.

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