Guardian

UK aid to Afghanistan entrenched corruption and injustice, report finds

UK failed in Afghanistan – watchdog

Rishi Sunak

Keir Starmer

Institute for Government

Grant Shapps

Kevan Jones

John Healey

Paul Johnson

Full Fact

Torsten Bell

Ben Zaranko

How Much Will the UK Increase Defense Spending By?

The UK Government announced Monday it will allow hundreds of Afghan special forces members who fought alongside British troops to re-settle in the UK, stating that it expects to overturn decisions on roughly a quarter of 2K applications rejected by the previous government.

The Telegraph

Following the withdrawal of coalition forces and Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the 2K rejected applicants were mostly members of Afghan units set up, funded and run by the UK known as the Triples.

BBC News

Meanwhile, an investigation by Lighthouse Reports, The Independent, and Sky News in Nov. 2023 found that at least 24 members of the Triples had been tortured or killed by the Taliban since Aug. 2021

Independent

Verity

In February this year, a BBC investigation also claimed that UK Special Forces (UKSF) rejected resettlement applications under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme (ARAP), despite evidence of their involvement in the anti-Taliban campaign.

The review into the rejected applications was launched by the Conservatives in Feb. 2024. Commenting in Parliament, current armed forces minister Luke Pollard claimed that whilst he believed the previous government had acted in "good faith," departmental errors meant a "significant body of information" had been "overlooked."

Parliament

Guardian #1

RT #1

The UK's Labour government said Monday it will allow hundreds of Afghan special forces members who fought alongside British troops to re-settle in the UK, stating that it expects to overturn decisions on roughly a quarter of 2K applications rejected by the previous government.

the Guardian

the Guardian #

Following the withdrawal of coalition forces and Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the 2K rejected applicants were mostly members of elite Afghan units known as the Triples — units that were set up, funded and run by the UK. Since 2021, reports suggested that a number of these Afghans have been killed by the Taliban, while others are in hiding.

BBC News #

While a review was launched by the Conservatives in February, Luke Pollard, the UK's armed forces minister under Labour, told the House of Commons on Monday that the emergency re-examination revealed "problems that have dogged the Afghan resettlement scheme under the previous government," stating that had been "an inconsistent approach" to decision making.

However, there was no evidence of "malicious intent," Pollard added, instead blaming poor-record keeping for any errors.

Nonetheless, the reversals of resettlement decisions on the Triples could stir discontent among certain circles in the UK. A report by BBC Panorama earlier this year, citing leaked documents, revealed operating procedures in which UK Special Forces — currently the subject of a public inquiry on allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan — had power to review every resettlement application submitted by a member of the Triples.

According to the report, hundreds were rejected despite having strong grounds for resettlement. Former special forces officers told the BBC that this was "a clear conflict of interest," given that members of the Triples could be called on to become witnesses in the public inquiry. "At best it's not appropriate, at worst it looks like they're trying to cover their tracks," one former officer said.

The UK's plan to resettle Afghan soldiers who fought the Taliban alongside British troops was a good idea, but was riddled with problems in how it was implemented by the Conservative government. Following an urgent review by Labour, hundreds of cases that were wrongly rejected will soon receive permission to live in the UK.

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers to become eligible to live in UK after new information found

This review, commissioned by the Conservatives, showed there was never bad intent in why applications were rejected. This brand new process was plagued with communication issues, as well as problems maintaining accurate records across various departments, and that's why some applications were overlooked.

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers to be allowed to relocate to UK after U-turn

This is nothing but smoke and mirrors from the government. After failing many of the thousands of Afghan people that worked alongside Britain's military, someone, somewhere, took a decision to secretly bring these people to the UK anyway, keeping them at military basis for the time being. Now they're seeking to find legal cover for the operation.

The National

The National #

Thousands of Afghans secretly flown to new life on military bases in UK

There's a 10% chance that the United States will recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Metaculus

Metaculus #

US recognize Taliban government by 2030

Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency/Contributor via Getty Images

UK to Resettle Hundreds of Afghan Soldiers Following Review

With allegations of war crimes continuing to cast a shadow over the UK's military operation in Afghanistan, it's reasonable to suggest that UKSF may have been rejecting the relocation of key eyewitnesses as part of a historic cover-up job. Despite fighting and dying alongside UK forces, elite Afghan fighters remained  ignored and rejected by the British state for far too long — the world deserves to know why.

UK to Resettle Hundreds of Afghan Soldiers Following Review

UK to Resettle Hundreds of Afghan Soldiers Following Review

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UK to Resettle Hundreds of Afghan Soldiers Following Review

UK to Resettle Hundreds of Afghan Soldiers Following Review

The Spin

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The Controversies

Articles on this story

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