Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email
Please enter a valid email address
Please enter a valid email address
SIGN UP
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice
Thanks for signing up to the
View from Westminster email
{{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }}
The majority of voters believe members of a British-funded Afghan special forces unit should be given sanctuary in the UK, a poll has found.
Despite being trained and paid by the UK government, many members of the two units known as “The Triples” have now been told they do not qualify for Britain’s resettlement programmes – with British Army veterans alleging their offers to provide character references were ignored by the government.
The poll comes after The Independent revealed how Rishi Sunak’s government had left the courageous soldiers at the mercy of the Taliban.
A ministerial row has broken out this week over their fate, with veterans’ minister Johnny Mercer and armed forces minister James Heappey at odds over how many of the soldiers described as “putting their lives on the line” for the UK should be brought to Britain.
Piling further pressure on Mr Sunak to act, a new YouGov poll of nearly 3,000 voters has found that the majority of the public – including 48 per cent of Tory voters – believe the Afghan veterans should be granted the sanctuary they were promised in the UK.
RECOMMENDED
Emma Watson clarifies what being ‘self-partnered’ means to her
Undo
Sir Tony Blair should be stripped of his knighthood, ministers told
Undo
URUHIME MOMOKO
A woman in her 40s drank "Ceramide" and her skin became…URUHIME MOMOKO| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Superfood Reviews
Do This Everyday to Ease Eczema Flare-UpsSuperfood Reviews| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Powered by Taboola Powered by Taboola
That compares to just 19 per cent of respondents who said they should not be allowed to settle in Britain, rising to 26 per cent among Conservative voters.
Promoted stories
Fixed Deposit Rates | Search Ads
Fixed Deposit Rates for Seniors in 2023 Might Surprise You!Fixed Deposit Rates | Search Ads
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
It comes after a joint investigation by The Independent, Lighthouse Reports and Sky News revealed dozens of these former commandos have been beaten, tortured or killed by the Taliban since the fall of Kabul in 2021.
Others have been forced into a life of destitution, unable to find work because they have to move location every month to escape the Taliban.
A number of the Afghan special forces personnel are now in the UK after being evacuated, or having travelled through Europe and crossed the Channel on small boats. It was also reported on Monday that 200 of the soldiers are in Pakistan facing imminent deportation back to Afghanistan.
Members of the two elite units – Commando Force 333 and Afghan Territorial Force 444 – who were left behind in Afghanistan in 2021 were told to seek help from the UK’s Arap scheme, which was established to help “Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles”.
Major General Charlie Herbert (second from right), former senior Nato adviser in Afghanistan, with 444 members in Kandahar in 2018
" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/10/27/17/afghansquadron%2013.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/10/27/17/afghansquadron%2013.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/10/27/17/afghansquadron%2013.jpg" data-gallery-length="2" class="i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content">
Major General Charlie Herbert (second from right), former senior Nato adviser in Afghanistan, with 444 members in Kandahar in 2018
(Supplied )
Major General Charlie Herbert, a senior Nato adviser in Afghanistan between 2017 and 2018, previously told The Independent: “I can think of no other Afghan security forces who were more closely aligned to the UK than 333 and 444, nor who more loyally or bravely supported our military objectives.”
Many of the elite Afghan soldiers were given character references by British military colleagues, but claims have now been reported that some who offered to do so were never contacted by the Arap team or Ministry of Defence.
One former British soldier, named Alex, told the BBC: “I provided details about the individual that I served with on the ground in Afghanistan to the Arap team and never got a response.
“I am aware of a number of other people who served alongside the Triples and never received any contact from the MoD or Arap. The cases were all rejected in the first place and were then rejected on appeal.”
“We talk a lot about veterans and their mental health,” he added. “To think that you’ve left these people behind, you hear what they’re going through. They were looking after you on the ground and you can’t help them.”
While Mr Heappey, the armed forces minister, defended the government’s record to MPs on Monday, bemoaning “the reality of how hard it is to verify the service of those who just served in the unit rather than explicitly alongside UK personnel”.
But Alex said: “It makes me so angry, particularly to hear the minister say that it’s hard to verify these people, when they’ve clearly made no attempt to verify them, not even reaching out to their own people.”
More about Afghan Veterans Afghanistan Taliban Johnny Mercer James Heappey
Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
1Comments
1/ 2Majority of Britons want Afghan veterans to remain in UK, poll finds
Majority of Britons want Afghan veterans to remain in UK, poll finds
Major General Charlie Herbert (second from right), former senior Nato adviser in Afghanistan, with 444 members in Kandahar in 2018
Supplied
Majority of Britons want Afghan veterans to remain in UK, poll finds
Supplied
Promoted stories
Body Design News
People who can't lose weight may not have tried "this"!Body Design News| Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
Interactive Brokers
Open an account today!How much interest is your broker paying you?Interactive Brokers| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Liposuction | Search Ads
Belly Fat Removal Without Surgery In Singapore: The Price Might Surprise YouLiposuction | Search Ads| Sponsored Sponsored
Search Now
Undo
Read More Comments
Collapse Comments
？ Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Subscribe
Already subscribed? Log in