UK defends handling of evacuation of British citizens from Sudan

The rescue of its diplomats from the Sudanese capital last weekend by special forces was meant to demonstrate that Britain was still a top tier fighting force and possibly even help expunge the bitter memory of its chaotic withdrawal from Kabul two years ago that left many Afghans eligible for relocation to the UK stranded.

SAS troops were inserted by US Chinook helicopters into the heart of Khartoum before a dash in commandeered 4x4s to the Wadi Seidna airfield 40km outside the capital where British military aircraft were waiting to fly everyone back to Cyprus. The complex operation was successful and casualty free.