A FORMER Royal Marine has said he “went through hell” to reach Kabul airport only to be turned away and sent into an unfolding warzone.

Charity worker Paul "Pen" Farthing, from Dovercourt, thought he had finally managed to flee Afghanistan with his Nowzad staff and rescue animals before he became caught up in Thursday’s explosions.

He said they were “safely 300m inside the airport perimeter” when they were sent packing “into the chaos”.

But, the 52-year-old said he, his team and 173 rescue animals were turned away due to changes in paperwork rules just two hours prior to their arrival.

Read more: Ex-Marine targeted by gunman as bomb causes mayhem at Kabul airport

It means they all had to leave in what proved to be an almost fatal situation, despite a daring midnight operation to get to the airport.

Mr Farthing said as they tried to leave the area, they became caught up in the deadly bomb blasts on the airport which killed at least 90 people, including 12 US servicemen, and injured more than 150.

“The whole team & dogs/cats were safely 300m inside the airport perimeter,” he tweeted.

“We were turned away as @JoeBiden had changed paperwork rules just two hours earlier.

“Went through hell to get there & we were turned away into the chaos of those devastating explosions. #OperationArk.”

Following this, the British expat said his vehicle was targeted by a gunman amid the chaos.

He told the PA news agency: “Had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head”.

LATEST: Pen Farthing and animals set to escape Afghanistan after clearing airport checks

And, in an interview with the BBC today, he revealed he has been forced to give up on Operation Ark which sought to get his animals and staff out of the country due to a decision by US President Joe Biden to change the rules on who is permitted to enter the airfield.

He explained even though his staff had been given the green light by the British Government to board a privately chartered flight, “the Taliban would not accept their paperwork”.

Read more: Ex-Marine stuck with 173 animals at Kabul airport issues desperate plea to the Taliban

The militant group had been told to only allow people through who possessed a “physical passport with a visa in it”.

Mr Farthing said his staff have now told him it is “time to go” amid growing fears for his safety under Taliban rule.

He also revealed the new rules mean he will be unable to take any of his animals with him.

The Ministry of Defence has now said the UK has entered the final stages of its evacuation in the capital city and no more people will be called to the airport to leave.

It confirmed the Baron Hotel, where the processing facilities were located outside the airport, has been closed.

The US, which is overseeing operations in the airport, is withdrawing its troops on Tuesday.