Afghan embassy staff remain in hiding despite being eligible for UK relocation

Read Time:3 Minute, 17 Second

More than 170 people working for the British Embassy in Kabul continued to hide in Afghanistan in fear of their lives, almost a year after the Taliban recolated the country.

The Afghan list that is currently hiding, seen by The Guardian, shows that nearly 200 former translators, security guards and local staff are waiting for responses from the Ministry of Defense and Headquarters, the department is responsible for moving risky people. Everything in the list meets the requirements to be transferred to the UK under the relocation and policy of Afghanistan Assistance (Arap), which is intended to bring those previously employed by the British government, and their family members, for safety in the UK.

Aarash* was employed by Gardaworld, a security subcontractor for MOD, and worked at the British Embassy for more than 10 years. He and his children had fled from their homes and lived hidden in the basement in a village outside the city, surviving with a boiled rice food a day.

ban, they have access to the details of all their guards and ID cards,” Aarash said, talking with a safe connection. “Twice, they came to find our house, so we had to run away. They say that we are criminals, that we are not true Muslims, that we work for strangers. If they find us, they will kill us – this is certain.

In August 2021, when the Taliban took Kabul, Aarash was in a coach with his family, who would be evacuated. The suicide bombing inside the airport forced the bus to return. He has been hiding since then.

Every time we receive a message from MOD, they say to wait. More than 10 months we waited. We hope that the British government will help us but they do nothing – they have left us alone here to die.

Another man, speaking through a translator, said: “The Taliban came to our house, they broke everything and we had to go very quickly. Now we are in a very bad condition. Our children cannot go to school, we cannot walk on the streets or go to the market [for food]. Every day, we are at risk. They will come for us and they will kill us all, including children. We are in the humanitarian crisis. “

He added: “The British government, they know everything about us. They know we meet the requirements [to come to England] because we worked for them for years. We do good jobs for them. We respectfully ask the British government to help us and start our transfer as soon as possible. “

Sarah Magill, a director of Amal Azadi, said that Afghan citizens who met the requirements were in their tens of thousands. “They are scattered in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, hiding and fear. We want more diplomatic energy and investment to build paths for them, including through Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Relying only on Pakistan, a country in political chaos, has caused traffic jams. “

Sara De Jong, one of the founders of Sulha Alliance, who supported Afghan citizens who worked for the British government to reside in England, said: “The delay and unresponsive team made applicants in the Limbo, while fearing of their lives. Application processing needs to be accelerated, and applicants must be given a clear schedule, which will also help reduce double applications from Afghanistan only despair to get a response. “

This is the latest criticism of the handling of the government crisis, with a burdensome report from the Foreign Affairs Committee in May said there has been “there is no plan to evacuate Afghan people who support British missions without being employed directly, who have placed a risky life”.

Responding to the written question last week, the Minister of Armed Forces James Heapke said a case of Arap originating from when the scheme was opened remained unresolved. He added that it was related to an individual we have contacted three times, asking for more information related to their feasibility”.