Northern Ireland diplomat at heart of Afghan rescue gives a glimpse of life in UK crisis hub

Sheena Lavery was part of the team that faced a race against time to get as many people out of Kabul as it could, while working from a control hub in the basement of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The UK Government has said 15,000 people, including around 2,200 children, were rescued between August 14 and 28, when the last British military flight departed.

Belfast-born Sheena, 46, admitted: “Working on this crisis came with a lot of responsibility because peoples’ lives are literally on the line.

“It has been stressful and there’s a lot of pressure, but saving peoples’ lives is rewarding and that kept us going. We’ve got over 15,000 people out under exceptionally difficult circumstances.

“Even though the UK’s flights out have now stopped, our work does not stop there and my colleagues will continue working to find any British or eligible Afghans a safe route out.”

Having previously served for two years in Kabul, the task was emotionally draining for Sheena because she is worried about the safety of the many Afghans she worked with.

“It’s been distressing for me,” she said.

“I worked closely with a lot of people in Kabul and there are difficult times ahead.

“I know some of the people that we are helping to get out, so there’s been a personal satisfaction as well when we succeed.

“There have been moments where we’ve got people onto a flight and we’ve done a little happy dance.

“It is great when you have a tangible result like that, and you have got people out of real danger.”

She added: “I loved Afghanistan and met some extraordinary people working in really challenging circumstances. I can picture the places in Kabul where we were telling people to meet.

“We worked on lots of projects there, particularly with girls’ education and sports, and you just do not know what is going to happen now.”

Sheena, who joined the FCDO in 2003 has worked on numerous crisis responses and says that the Afghanistan situation is one of the most challenging.

She said: “I’ve done a whole range of crises – hurricanes, terrorist attacks, earthquakes, you name it. Covid blew all our previous crises out of the water in terms of scope, but this has been at the upper end of the scale for sure.”

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