Afghan citizens board British military plane as evacuation efforts continue

More than 130 evacuees boarded a British military cargo plane leaving Kabul airport for refuge in the UK from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Britain's government has said it would welcome 5,000 Afghan refugees this year and resettle 20,000 over the coming years.

Troops hoped to reassure the evacuees they were safe and in a bid to reduce their stress, they didn't wear intimidating body armour, Royal Air Force squadron leader Di Bird said.

"Everything is about making sure we remember that these are our friends, they're people that have worked with us for years and we treat them in that way," Bird added.