Thousands of Afghan interpreters and other UK allies promised sanctuary were today ‘abandoned’ to the Taliban in a dramatic government U-turn.
Rescue missions to extract those who served Britain, and their families, have been shut down.
The announcement in the House of Commons came as a shock to several thousand people who have been waiting in hiding for over a year for their turn to be rescued from vengeful Taliban warlords.
The men, many of whom served on the frontline with UK forces and saved many British lives, received official messages essentially telling them to fend for themselves.
The messages said they could still come to Britain, but only if they managed to ‘self-move’ themselves out of Afghanistan.
It sent a wave of terror among those in hiding. Abdul, 41, a former frontline interpreter, who has waited nearly a year after being promised help, told the Daily Mail: ‘It is a gift for the Taliban and I fear some will pay with their lives.’
The father-of-three added: ‘My wife is in tears, we feel we are being abandoned and denied the help given so many of my colleagues.’
Erin Alcock, a lawyer from Leigh Day who has been helping Afghans, said: 'They have patiently waited in fear to be helped, only to now be told help is not coming.'
Taliban revenge squads have been hunting down Afghans who worked for British forces and meting out punishment beatings to some and murdering others
Thousands of Afghans who fought beside British soldiers or acted as frontline interpreters remain in hiding as the Taliban seeks revenge
The brother of a former interpreter (above) was beaten by the Taliban demanding to know where his brother was hiding and if he had worked for the UK
For years, successive governments have pledged never to forget those who were loyal to Britain, and today’s announcement was described as another ‘betrayal of the brave’.
The Daily Mail’s award-winning campaign Betrayal of the Brave has been highlighting their plight for a decade, supported by countless British soldiers and officers who worked shoulder-to-shoulder on the frontlines with Afghan comrades during the UK’s two decades in Afghanistan. Military translators were the ‘eyes and ears’ of British troops, often saving lives, and sometimes being injured themselves in the line of duty.
After Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021, those loyal to Britain have been hunted down, with many of them murdered or tortured by the brutal regime.
Britain has offered three resettlement schemes to Afghans to make new lives in safety in the UK, including ARAP (the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy). These have all been closed to new applicants but only last year ministers promised to honour offers that had already been made.
Extraordinary, brave and professional
British-backed teams have been working amid great danger in Afghanistan to help them get to a third country such as Pakistan where they can be flown to the UK.
The specialist teams, operating at great peril to themselves, have rescued nearly 12,000 people from the clutches of the Taliban.
Afghans rescued during four years of often-dramatic escapes have described the work of the specialist unit, made up of Afghans who had worked with UK troops and ex-military, including Special Forces, as ‘extraordinary, brave and professional.’
Today, defence minister Luke Pollard told the Commons in a written statement: ‘We have decided to end in-country assistance for movements out of Afghanistan.
‘Eligible Afghans will need to make their own way to a third country when they are able to do so. We are contacting all those immediately impacted by this change.’
Abdul, the name we are using for the former frontline interpreter, said: ‘We live in hiding, we have little or no money because I am unable to work as a result of working for the UK forces. How can I fund my own escape? How can I pay for the documents and visas needed? ‘I am truly shocked, as we were told to wait and we would be helped.
‘The Taliban still hunts us, it controls the issue of documents, it controls the borders…they will be celebrating.’
Professor Sara de Jong, a founding member of the Sulha Alliance which helps former translators and Afghans who worked for UK forces, warned: ‘This announcement brings despair to interpreters with a relocation offer who are still in Afghanistan. It is an injustice that they will be denied assistance to leave Afghanistan safely.'
An unmarked plane landing at Stansted Airport carrying Afghans whose data was breached by the UK Government, as part of the missions to rescue thousands of people owed gratitude
Among those who have already died are Ahjmadzai (above, left), who applied for sanctuary in the UK, and Qassim (above, right), who was a soldier, were both murdered in April 2023
She added: 'The withdrawal of the in-country support comes as a shock to Afghans, who have been years in hiding, fearful of Taliban revenge. It also causes incredible pain to Afghans in the UK who thought the relocation offer for vulnerable and at-risk family members meant that they would finally be reunited. Now that is a distant prospect.
Prof de Jong said: ‘The British government's in-country support that earlier very effectively helped Afghans who stood by us to safety, should not be dismantled before all eligible Afghans have arrived in the UK. Those left behind are confronted with impossible financial costs and risks, which leaves the Government's promise of a visa empty.’
Lawyer Ms Alcock said the announcement was 'shocking and deeply disappointing', adding: ‘We have clients stuck in Afghanistan, unable to afford the inflated costs of visas to travel to a third country for onward processing by the Home Office.
‘The serious and unacceptable delays that have plagued the ARAP scheme from the beginning have directly contributed to the dire financial situation of our ARAP-eligible clients, unable to work for nearly five years due to the risk to their lives.’
Former frontline interpreter Rafi Hottak, who was blown up on the frontlines and now campaigns for former colleagues, said: ‘I am deeply concerned for the Afghan allies who remain trapped inside Afghanistan with no real support, no safe route out, and no practical alternative. ‘Many of these people served alongside and supported British forces, British contractors, and UK funded operations, often at great personal risk.
‘For almost five years, they have waited, hoped, appealed, submitted evidence, and trusted that the UK Government would honour its promises. During this time, many families have been forced to survive with little or no income, selling whatever assets they had, relying on relatives, borrowing money, moving from place to place, and living under constant fear simply to stay alive. Instead, many have been left in silence and uncertainty, as if their loyalty and sacrifice can simply be filed away and forgotten.'
It is the latest setback for the UK schemes to help loyal Afghans. The Daily Mail revealed last year how a data blunder put 100,000 people at risk of death when the Ministry of Defence lost a database containing personal details of those who had applied for sanctuary. Ministers approved a £7billion bill for helping to un-do the damage, while using a super-injunction to prevent the public or Parliament finding out.
In his ministerial statement today, Mr Pollard said: ‘I want to reassure eligible Afghans that once they reach a safe third country, we maintain provision of our current support until 2028.’
He said: ‘Having closed ARP [Afghan Resettlement Programme] schemes to new applicants last year and as we work to draw ARP to a close, we estimate there are fewer than 9,000 EPs [eligible persons] still to relocate to the UK. This is in part because we are finding far fewer applicants meet the eligibility criteria than in the years after the scheme opened.
'As part of the commitment to relocate and resettle those found eligible under the ARP schemes, MOD has been using a third-party organisation to support individuals moving out of Afghanistan. This support has been aimed at ensuring eligible individuals and their families can safely and legally reach a UK visa application centre (VAC) in a third country to progress through their Home Office entry clearance stages.
'This year, more eligible Afghans have self-moved to a third country. Having seen increased evidence of successful self-moves and after assessing carefully again the risks to this cohort and other factors, including the value for money for the taxpayer, we have decided to end in-country assistance for movements out of Afghanistan.'