LONDON: The British government has decided to reassess the applications of former Afghan special forces members who were denied asylum in Britain.
Hundreds of soldiers from Afghan Commando Force 333 and Afghan Territorial Force 444, raised by the British Army were denied relocation to the country after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
As per western media reports the soldiers fought shoulder-to-shoulder with British units and were even paid by the British government. They remained in place till the Afghan military disintegrated in 2021.
British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the government would reassess the rejected cases.
After the Taliban takeover, the UK formed a policy for those Afghans who worked with UK authorities in the country and their families to travel to Britain.
Heappey informed the British House of Commons that inconsistencies in the new policy had been identified which may have caused former Afghan soldiers’ applications to be rejected.
He went on to say the UK owes a debt to these brave individuals, adding the Ministry of Defense would form a dedicated team to carry out the reassessments.
He had previously told the House hat the ministry faced problems in verifying the services of those Afghan soldiers who served alongside UK personnel.
There have also been accusations that the British government failed to act against detention, torture, and deaths of several former Afghan soldiers.
