Description
The charity joins more than 20 senior military and political leaders who have lent their voices to the campaign. The veterans' charity said it was right "to question the deportation of any Afghan who served alongside British forces in the war against the Taliban." The Royal British Legion, which was established in 1921 and has 180,000 members, supports tens of thousands of service members, veterans and their families each year.
Chief Executive Charles Byrne said: “We encourage the government to quickly and fully assess those who apply for support. It is essential that we remember the many Afghans who bravely worked alongside the British armed forces in Afghanistan.
The Afghan pilot arrived in the UK on a small boat and is now facing deportation to Rwanda.
His story has shed light on the plight of many other Afghan war heroes who resort to dangerous routes to reach the UK.
The pilot is still awaiting a reply to his open letter to Rishi Sunak, in which he asks the prime minister to grant him asylum and reunite him with his family. Sunak has promised to ask the Home Ministry to look into the matter, but the Home Ministry has so far refused to comment on the matter.
The British Legion is currently assisting Afghans who have been relocated to the UK under the Ministry of Defense's Afghan Assistance and Relocation Policy.
The Afghan air force lieutenant, who flew combat missions against the Taliban, was forced into hiding after the fall of Kabul in August 2021 and said it was "impossible" to surrender in Britain by a safe route.
He said he was "forgotten" by the US and British forces he worked with, adding: "We work with them and help them as if they were our brothers. We are not Taliban, we are not ISIS, so why are they leaving us like this?
The veteran is concerned for his family, who are still in Afghanistan, and says he is speaking on their behalf.
Other senior military figures adding their support included Air Marshal Edward Stringer, former head of RAF forces in Afghanistan, and Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, who said the government had a "duty" to take care of those who fought. together with Great Britain.
The campaign also gained political support, with Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer describing the treatment of the Afghan pilot as a "disgrace". Defense Select Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said the pilot's case exposed a "massive hole" in Britain's asylum system, while Lord Dubs, a former child refugee who fled the Nazis before World War II World War, said the case was "absolutely shocking".
Former International Development Secretary Rory Stewart said the pilot's story is "deeply shocking" because his treatment goes directly against promises made to those in Afghanistan.
This week our campaign was endorsed by Piers Morgan, who called on Mr Sunak to "do the right thing and give this hero a new life here." Former Navy commando Ben McBean also said he saw no reason why "anyone would have a problem" with Afghan veterans being given a new home in the UK.
The data shows that the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap) program has so far turned away 18,946 Afghans, while only 3,399 have been eligible. Charities and parliamentarians have warned that the criteria for the scheme are too narrow and that hundreds of people who have worked alongside British forces are being left behind.
Richard Dannatt (right) in Afghanistan in 2007
The umbrella resettlement program for Afghans at risk, the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Program, has resettled just 22 people since the initial evacuation, according to government data.
M. Byrne declared: «We are currently supporting the centaines of Afghans who are déménagé au Royaume-Uni dans le cadre de la politique de relations et d'assistance avec l'Afghanistan, et qui ont été désignés par le ministere de la Défense comme ayant un lien étroit avec la défense britannique, avec tout, de l'aide trouver un emploi pour fournir une éducation et des vêtements aux enfants, et nous nous engageons à offerrir une aide pratique lors de leur réinstallation dans leur nouvelle vie in the United Kingdom.
A government spokesperson said: "While we do not comment on individual cases, we remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and have so far brought back approximately 24,500 people affected by the situation in the UK. .
"We continue to work with like-minded partners and countries neighboring Afghanistan on resettlement issues and to support the safe passage of eligible Afghans."
Pennsylvania
Access
