A Conservative defence minister has admitted that flawed decision-making led to Afghan special forces heroes being turned down for sanctuary in Britain.

       In a major victory for The Independent, James Heappey confirmed the government will now re-examine the cases of around 400 special forces soldiers rejected for settlement in the UK.

       The armed forces minister admitted some decisions were “inconsistent” and “not robust” and will be looked at again after a joint investigation by The Independent, Lighthouse Reports and Sky News.

       Mr Heappey told the Commons there had been mistakes with the process of deciding on Afghan soldiers from two units known as the Triples – Commando Force 333 and Afghan Territorial Force 444.

       In fresh hope they will be given a home in the UK, the minister promised a new team at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will make sure “decisions [are] changed if that is necessary”.

       The Afghan soldiers were subjected to torture and murder at the hands of the Taliban after being denied help under the government’s flagship Arap (Afghan relocations and assistance policy) scheme.

       Our six-month-long investigation revealed how cases were not being properly considered, even though the Triples soldiers fitted the criteria and had evidence showing they worked “shoulder to shoulder” with British forces.

       Mr Heappey said a recent review of processes around eligibility decisions showed “instances of inconsistent application of the Arap criteria in certain cases”.

       He promised the government would now “take necessary steps” to apply the criteria fairly. “I can confirm that the MoD will undertake a reassessment of all eligibility decisions made for applications with credible claims of links to the Afghan specialist units.”

       The minister also told MPs: “Undoubtedly there have been some decisions made that are not robust and need to be reviewed... We will now work quickly to make sure that these decisions are reviewed and cases and decisions changed if that is necessary.”

       The Independent’s joint investigation found that in some cases seemingly no consideration had been given to official certificates and ID cards showing their closeness with UK special forces.

       In other instances, references from British colleagues and evidence of a payslip from the UK were ignored.

       But Mr Heappey cautioned against the idea of blanket approval of 400 special forces soldiers under the Arap scheme – suggesting that there had been good reasons to turn some Aghans down.

       He said the special forces cohort “present a unique set of challenges in terms of eligibility decision-making” – pointing out that some served in their units when the Afghan government that replaced the Taliban after the UK-US invasion was still being established.

       Mr Heappey added: “It is also the case that they did report directly into the government of Afghanistan, meaning we do not hold comprehensive employment or payment records in the same way we do for other applicants.”

       If successful, the special forces soldiers will be allowed to bring their family members with them to the UK – meaning thousands in fear for their lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan could be given sanctuary.

       Campaigners have welcomed the news that Triples cases will be re-examined – but have raised concerns over the department’s desire to maintain a “case by case” review.

       Colonel Simon Diggins, a former defence attache in Kabul, said he was “pleased to hear that the government has committed to review the Triples’ cases”.

       He added: “I note that there is still a case-by-case review process planned: this must not be used as a delaying tactic as these brave men and their families are at risk. This must take days, not years.”

       Their abandonment has forced a number of Afghan commandos to travel to the UK via dangerous and irregular routes – journeys Mr Sunak has vowed to halt with his pledge to “stop the boats”.

       Habibullah, whose name has been changed to protect his family in Afghanistan, arrived in Britain following a year-long tumultuous journey from Iran through Europe, which culminated in him crossing to these shores from France in a dinghy.

       “I never let down the British forces, I risked my life to help them. We’ve been for so many operations together, I was always there for them, but they let me down when I came to their country,” he said.