UK to Resettle Hundreds of Afghan Soldiers Following Review
UK to Resettle Hundreds of Afghan Soldiers Following Review
The Facts
The UK government announced Monday it will allow hundreds of Afghan special forces members who fought alongside British troops to resettle in the UK, estimating they will overturn approximately 25% of 2K applications rejected under the Conservative Party.
The rejected applicants were mostly members of Afghan units set up, funded, and run by the UK, known as the Triples, seeking resettlement following the withdrawal of coalition forces and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.Meanwhile, in February, 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 Spin
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 were ignored and rejected by the British state for far too long — the world deserves to know why.
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.
