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An Afghan veteran who served with the British armed forces is among those who fled to the UK on small boats and now faces deportation to Rwanda. It comes after we revealed the fate of an Afghan pilot who served alongside the British Army and fled to the UK in small boats and now faces deportation to Rwanda. The air force lieutenant, who flew 30 combat missions against the Taliban and was hailed by his coalition forces supervisor as a "patriot of his nation," was forced into hiding, saying it was "impossible." travel to Britain through a vault. itinerary.
He says he is one of many Afghan veterans who have been "forgotten" by US and British forces, and believes the promise of "friendship and cooperation" has been abandoned.
The chairman of the Commons Defense Select Committee was one of the first prominent figures to offer his support to the Air Force lieutenant after our initial briefing on his situation.
Ellwood, the Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, warned that his "case illustrates the gaping hole in the current system" which "doesn't have a working process" for Afghans to apply for asylum abroad.
"Clearly, that's not who we are as a nation, and that's not how our migration system should work," he said, adding: "There is something very wrong if the pilots who worked alongside us in Afghanistan could now be sent to Rwanda".
The case 'illustrates the huge hole in the current system', Tobias Ellwood said
In the same report, which came a day after Rishi Sunak vowed to consider the veteran's fate, during a questioning of parliamentarians, a former Royal Navy chief joined the criticism, saying the government had a "duty" to care to those who fought. together with Great Britain.
“Particularly because they were helping us. But also because no one will want to help us if we ever find ourselves in a situation like this," said Admiral Lord West, Chief of the Naval Staff from 2002 to 2006.
He added: “I understand all the problems of trying to stop ships coming through the Canal and people drowning. But I think sometimes you have to be flexible. And I would have thought that that was a classic case where we should.
The next day, the British ambassador to Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul in 2021 was part of a wave of public figures to support our campaign.
Sir Laurie Bristow warned that the lives of Afghans who "have worked for us and with us... are at risk", adding that "many of our own servicemen owe their lives to the Afghans who have worked and fought alongside them. in Afghanistan". .
Sir Laurie Bristow was stationed in Afghanistan during the evacuation from Kabul.
Simultaneously, Sir Laurie's predecessor warned of the extreme danger the war hero would have faced had he remained in the country.
“He carried out combat missions against the Taliban, for which he would have been directly threatened with reprisals in Afghanistan; they would have killed him," said Sir William Patey, who served as ambassador to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012.
“I really don't see how you can't get asylum or benefit from the various Afghan programs. It's a bit of a stretch for Rwanda to threaten him.
The pilot's route to the UK should not affect his chances of asylum, said a former head of joint operations, who served in Afghanistan.
"It shouldn't be complicated," said General Sir Richard Barrons. “This driver has the right to come here or not. The fact that he traveled through other countries to get here is not surprising given the mess the government has created with the evacuation process.
Rory Stewart, the former international development secretary, said the pilot story was "deeply shocking" because it went directly against promises made to those in Afghanistan.
“We are shirking our responsibilities to the Afghans who risked their lives to fight alongside us and are now risking their lives,” warned Mr Stewart, the former Tory MP who now co-hosts The Rest Is Politics podcast. .
Rory Stewart said the pilot's story was "deeply shocking"
Describing the pilot case as "a stain on Britain's great reputation", former defense minister Kevan Jones said: "We always stand by our friends.
“We have to keep doing it. This government is clearly not doing that in this case and many others.
His comments came as then-Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab was repeatedly pressed about the veteran's plight on BBC Radio 4's Today show.
Colonel Simon Diggins, who served as defense attaché in Afghanistan and was involved in the evacuation of Kabul, said: “We must not accept the terminology that he came here 'illegally'; it's the wrong language for people like him who have no other way to get here safely.
"It is appalling that this man who was in our allied forces is being treated in this way."
Colonel Simon Diggins served as Defense Attaché in Afghanistan
Major General Tim Cross, who served in Iraq, the Balkans and Northern Ireland, called the case "common sense, or rather a lack of common sense".
He continued: “If this man was a member of the Afghan forces fighting alongside the coalition, the risks to him are obvious. The entire withdrawal from Afghanistan was terrible, and cases like these are the human consequences of the mistakes we made in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
Major General Tim Cross was the most senior British officer involved in post-war planning for Iraq.
As our campaign gained momentum, Sir Keir Starmer said it was "a shame" that a brave pilot who fought alongside British troops had been "banned" from the UK.
The Labor leader also accused the government of a "disgraceful level of incompetence" and called on ministers not to oust him.
The dramatic intervention came when the pilot wrote an open letter to the prime minister, appealing directly to Sunak to offer refuge to him, his family and fellow Afghans who served alongside Britain.
Keir Starmer said it was "a shame" the pilot was thrown out
Support was then offered by former NATO chief Lord Robertson, who warned it would be an "indefensible embarrassment" if the Home Office followed through on its threat to send him to Rwanda.
Lord Robertson, former secretary general of the military alliance, has urged the government to show decency and give the pilot the respect and security he deserves.
The former SAS soldier, now a survivor and television adventurer, urged ministers to "do good to those who have given so much to keep us safe."
In an opinion piece for this website, Bear Grylls wrote: "Imagine braving the horrors of war to support the forces of a country you don't even live in, only to find out when you travel to that country in search of a true sanctuary of terror, torture, and the many other dangers of his own country (facing even more difficulties along the way), he is told that he is not recognized or liked.
Bear Grylls endorsed our campaign and urged ministers to "do good for those who have given so much to keep us safe."
Lord Alf Dubs, a child refugee who fled from the Nazis before World War II, called the idea of deporting a pilot "absolutely shocking" and accused Rishi Sunak's government of "utterly cruel" treatment.
The Labor pair called on the prime minister to ensure the veteran can stay. “If he risked his life for us, how can we not consider giving him security? The government needs to think again,” he said.
Lord Alf Dubs said the idea of expelling a pilot was 'absolutely shocking'
Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the British army, argued that the pilot was a "special case" for asylum and should be allowed to stay.
The former British army chief said there was a "flaw" in government policy if Afghans helping British forces could be deported as part of a crackdown on small boat crossings.
Sir Richard Dannatt is one of many armed forces leaders who support our campaign.
He added: “It was in Basra in 2007 that I first heard an 'Arab street' aphorism: that it is better to be an enemy of the British than a friend. If you're an enemy they'll buy you, if you're a friend they'll sell you... If we don't want to live up to that reputation, we must do everything we can to care for those who risked their lives to help us.
His comments came as our petition for the government to provide safe haven for Afghan war heroes surpassed 50,000 signatures.
Air Marshal Edward Stringer was also director of operations at the Ministry of Defense.
Welcoming freelance publisher Geordie Greig and Lord Dannatt as guests on his TalkTV show, Piers Morgan also called for the Afghan pilot to be given shelter.
"I give my full support to this show, because I think it's a very important battle," he said. "He may be a man, but he actually represents a lot of people who have sacrificed a lot, and a lot of them have sacrificed their lives. We're going to keep harping on number 10."
Ben McBean, a Navy commando who lost an arm and leg in Afghanistan and was described as a hero by Prince Harry, also backed the campaign, saying we must help our pilot establish himself in the UK.
Ben McBean lost his left arm and right leg in an explosion while serving in Afghanistan in 2008.
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