Over 2,000 Afghan commandos denied asylum by UK Special Forces

Afghan commandos who fought alongside British forces were denied asylum

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UK Special Forces (UKSF) have rejected over 2,000 asylum claims from Afghan commandos who had credible evidence of serving alongside British forces in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

The MoD revealed that no applications from members of the Afghan ‘Triples’ units, which supported the SAS and SBS in Afghanistan, were approved for resettlement, despite the dangerous conditions they faced after the Taliban took control of the country in 2021.

The Triples – Afghan special forces units trained and paid by UK Special Forces – fought alongside British troops on high-risk missions.

When the Taliban regained power, many were at grave risk of reprisal, and they were entitled to apply for resettlement to the UK.

However, UK Special Forces blocked all resettlement applications despite the fact that the Afghan commandos had shown credible proof of their service.

The MoD had previously denied the existence of a blanket policy to reject these applications, but subsequent court hearings confirmed that no resettlement applications from the Triples were supported by UKSF.

In court proceedings, it was revealed that the MoD knew that the rejections made by UKSF were potentially flawed and would need independent review.

However, many Afghan commandos are still waiting for decisions, and some have been killed or tortured by the Taliban while waiting for responses.

The rejections are controversial, particularly given that UK Special Forces are currently under investigation for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, with the Triples potentially holding crucial evidence related to these claims.

MPs and former British officers have criticised the decision, with some alleging that UKSF blocked the applications to prevent former Afghan commandos from providing evidence to the inquiry.

Former Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, who served alongside the SBS, noted that there was a pool of evidence among Afghan commandos that could contribute to the inquiry.

Despite the delays and rejections, the MoD is conducting a review of the 2,022 applications, but this process has been plagued by lengthy delays and a lack of clarity on the review criteria.

Lawyers representing the Afghan commandos have launched a legal challenge to force the MoD to disclose more information regarding the decision-making process.