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Writer's pictureJames Hall

Those Left Behind: The Stories of the Afghan Allies Britain Didn't Evacuate and The Ones it Did.

The West's War Ends

On Saturday the 28th of August 2021, the last British plane left Afghanistan; the U.K. managed to evacuate around 15,000 people between the 14th and 28th August. At first glance, this number sounds high, but Vice-Admiral Sir Ben Key stated that this wasn't a moment of celebration and expressed a sense of sadness at those left behind. Those left behind. Three words that express a lot of emotion while saying very little, who was left behind? why were they left? and what will they have to do to survive?


(Image taken from Encyclopædia Britannica)


Sir Ben Key also stated that the 31st of August evacuation deadline, imposed by the Taliban, prevented U.K. forces from evacuating people who had assisted them over the last 20 years. From this statement, it's clear that 'those left behind' are Afghan nationals who assisted U.K. armed forces during the conflict. To British citizens, these people are allies, and it's a mark on our honour that we have left them behind. In addition to this, the Taliban sees them as traitors, and as BBC News states, "their safety is now in the hands of the Taliban".


Sir Laurie Bristow stated that the U.K. government would pressure the Taliban to guarantee safe passage to the U.K. for stranded Afghan and British nationals. We can all hope that this approach will work, but Lord Dannatt, former head of the armed forces (2006-2009), rightfully points out that these people should never have been left in this position. He also said that there should be an inquiry into the U.K.'s involvement in Afghanistan that focuses on strategic errors, including the rushed evacuation which he says should have started months ago.


Those Left Behind

The BBC stated that between 800 to 1100 eligible Afghans and 100 to 150 Britons haven't been evacuated, and no more people are being brought to airports to leave the country. The situation is a lot worse than this as this figure doesn't account for the thousands of non-eligible Afghans now trying to flee the country. Due to the lack of legal means to escape, many pay smugglers to take them across the border. The number of people looking to leave is so great, and the lack of policing is so serious, that many trafficking operations operate openly. For more information, click here.

(Image taken from forces.net)


A high priority target of revenge killings by the Taliban is former military interpreters who aided western forces. Even when U.K. patrols still took place in the country, the Taliban targeted interpreters first to sever the communications between U.K. troops and civilians. Unfortunately, this danger includes interpreters' families. For example, Bilal Nasiri worked as an interpreter alongside U.K. forces but emigrated in 2016. When the Taliban began to retake control this year, they sent him mail threatening to kill family members in the country unless he came back to take their place. Because Bilal had already emigrated, his remaining family weren't eligible for evacuation until the brave actions of Tim McCullagh secured them a new life in Ireland. Bilal is just one of many interpreters, and although his story has a happy ending, it is also a reminder of how real this danger is for others who may not be as fortunate as him. For the full story, click here.


One less fortunate former interpreter was even turned away at Kabul airport because he had lost his job due to workplace absences while his mother was sick. The man's name has been anonymised in news reports to protect his identity, and the soldiers he served alongside are still trying to secure him and his family safe passage to the U.K. When interviewed by BBC news, they stated, "You can't provide that role for so long and not be classed as our people." Hopefully, policymakers will take note of the efforts made by soldiers to aid their former interpreters and get them out of danger.


(Image taken by Spc. Ryan D. Green and posted on ArmyTimes)


Another group at risk is female lawyers. Since their takeover, the Taliban have been opening Afghanistan's jails and freeing former comrades, many of which were put away by female prosecutors. These women are now constantly on the move and laying low to try and avoid the Taliban. In January, two female Afghan supreme court judges were shot and killed, and many believe this was the Taliban's doing. As far back as August, hundreds of women have been going into hiding or fled the country in the recent evacuations. Many claimed to have received multiple death threats via phone calls from offenders they had successfully prosecuted. For the original article and more information about the dangers faced by Afghanistan's female lawyers, follow this link.


The Lucky Ones

Many Afghan refugees lucky enough to be arriving in the U.K. will be faced with years of uncertainty and paperwork. After a fair 10-day Covid quarantine in a hotel, some refugees will qualify for refugee status and permanently settle in the U.K. However, many others will only receive a five-year visa to live and work in the U.K., after which they can apply to settle in the U.K. permanently. However, the word settle is used lightly in many cases as accommodation shortages will result in many staying in hotels for the foreseeable future. Afghan refugees arriving independently face a much more testing entry to the U.K. They will enter the standard asylum claims system and its 70,000-person backlog. In addition to this, refugees going through the standard system may not work or settle while their claims are considered. Even with these less-than-ideal conditions, most refugees are incredibly relieved and grateful to the U.K. for getting them out of harm's way. One former interpreter named Burhan described boarding the RAF evacuation plane as "the happiest day of his life" and also stated that he intends to "serve this country". Despite his enthusiasm, he still "kindly demands" that the U.K. do their best to evacuate anyone left behind, simply stating that "…they served the British Army" and "they are in danger", and Burhan is not wrong. For Burhan's full interview, click here.


What Can the U.K. Do?

A priority should be negotiating safe passage out of Afghanistan for stranded former U.K. allies, female lawyers, and others at risk of Taliban revenge violence. Being stuck waiting for accommodation or processing isn't perfect, but it is better than fearing for your life day after day. Furthermore, the important thing is getting these people out of the Taliban's reach, not necessarily to the U.K. The U.K. government is powerful and influential worldwide, and if we are struggling to resettle these refugees here, we can always use our contacts and influence to try and settle them elsewhere. Priority one should be getting them out of the Taliban’s reach.


(Image taken from BBC News)


In terms of resettling refugees in the U.K., the government already has some much-needed improvements planned. One improvement is the introduction of Operation Warm Welcome; the operation aims to help settle Afghan refugees by providing help integrating and dealing with trauma, health assistance, education, accommodation, employment, and free English language courses. This situation is far from over and hopefully more initiatives will be introduced and we will see conditions for refugees improving. If we don’t, start petitions, campaign, do whatever you feel comfortable with but be compassionate. Many of these people have endured more than we can imagine.


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