British troops from the UK armed services who were part of the evacuation mission in Afghanistan are being recognised with a new medal. The mission was powered by members of the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force. The operation was the biggest humanitarian undertaking that the forces have been a part of in the last 70 years.

Speaking about the medal and its importance, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I’m delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has given permission for a special medal to be awarded to all those who deployed to Kabul, to honour their heroism in the face of extreme adversity.

“Operation Pitting will go down as one of the great achievements of our UK Armed Services and their civilian counterparts in the post-war era. The whole country can be immensely proud of their tireless work to bring men, women and children to safety. They represent the very best of us.”

PIcture credit: army.mod.uk

The evacuation efforts, also known as Operation Pitting, helped push at-risk Afghans out of the country following the pull-out. Over 600 soldiers were present at Kabul Airport, helping provide logistical support and protection. RAF even conducted a record-breaking flight with a passenger number of 439 on a Globemaster.

The mission did not last long, but it managed to pull out 15,000 people from 38 different countries through 100 flights.

“Last August, the Armed Forces demonstrated true heroism, bravery, and dedication by supporting Operation Pitting: a monumental effort to airlift over 15,000 vulnerable Afghans and British nationals from Afghanistan during a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis,” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace explained.

“As the security situation worsened by the hour, our service men and women stepped up and delivered the largest British evacuation since the Second World War. They will rightly receive medallic recognition for their efforts. I would like to thank them, and all our service personnel, on behalf of the public and UK Government for safely evacuating endangered Afghans through some of the most desperate scenes imaginable. You have done us all proud,” he added.

Picture credit: army.mod.uk

“The medal is the existing OSM Afghanistan, but with an ‘Operation Pitting‘ clasp. Those who already have the OSM Afghanistan with the ‘Afghanistan‘ clasp will receive the new clasp to affix to the ribbon. The medal is silver and circular in shape,” according to the MoD.

Our soldiers spent a long time helping keep Afghanistan safe and then helping rebuild. Even as they left, they managed to do every big and small thing to keep at-risk Afghans away from harm. We will continue to support our soldiers in their bravery and valour.