Afghanistan: First Brits back from Kabul as embassy staff and UK nationals land at RAF Brize Norton

British civilians escaping Afghanistan amid a Taliban takeover have touched down in the UK after fleeing from the advancing extremists.

The first group of embassy staff and British national arrived at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, following a rapid SAS-backed rescue mission – dubbed ‘Op Pitting’.

Officials were forced to step-up evacuation plans after Taliban fighters yesterday stormed into Kabul and took control of the capital. 

It had initially been hoped that the evacuation mission would be able to be carried out across the rest of August.

But shots from Taliban fighters were heard on the outskirts of the city yesterday morning, and by the end of the day the group had captured the Presidential Palace. 

The US also stepped up its evacuation plans, with US Air Force Chinooks seen airlifting staff from its embassy yesterday – in scenes which mirrored the 1975 evacuation of Saigon. 

The Armed Forces are supporting the evacuation of British nationals and those eligible for relocation under the Government’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Program.

Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, with support from RAF teams from around the world, to airlift British officials out of the city. 

The rescue mission could see thousands being evacuated from Afghanistan. Around 500 embassy staff are thought to be among those to be rescued. 

Around 5,000 interpreters and their families are also seeking evacuation, fearing being classed as ‘traitors’ by the extremist Taliban.

There are also thousands of British and dual nationality passport holders who may need evacuation to UK, and around 2,000 people with links to Britain could also be eligible to leave Afghanistan for the UK. 

Revealing that the first evacuation flight had landed in the UK last night, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘Last night the first flight of British Nationals and Embassy Staff arrived at RAF Brize Norton as part of Op PITTING. 

‘The UK Armed Forces are supporting the evacuation of British Nationals and those eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Program.’

It comes as the UK’s ambassador to Afghanistan put plans to leave the country on hold – and remained at Kabul airport to help process the applications of those seeking to leave.

Despite the scramble to evacuate, the ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow was said to be remaining in the city last night.

Boris Johnson said he was at the airport helping to process the applications of those seeking to leave. 

The Prime Minister has insisted Britain could ‘look back at 20 years of effort and achievement In Afghanistan’, as he argued he wanted to ‘make sure that we don’t throw those gains away’.

But when asked if Sir Laurie was among the hundreds already thought to have been rescued, a spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) told MailOnline: ‘We have reduced our diplomatic presence in response to the situation on the ground.

‘However our Ambassador remains in Kabul and UK Government staff continue to work to provide assistance to British nationals and to our Afghan staff.

‘We are doing all we can to enable remaining British nationals, who want to leave Afghanistan, to do so.’

Earlier reports had suggested Sir Laurie would be evacuated from Kabul on Sunday evening due to the Taliban’s rapid advancement into the capital.