Special forces blocked 2,000 reliable asylum claims from Afghan commandos, MOD confirms
The UK Special Forces Command dismissed rehabilitation applications from over 2,000 Afghan commandos, which showed reliable evidence of service in units fighting SAS and SBS, the Ministry of Defense has confirmed the first time.
Officials of the UK special forces have rejected every application from a former Afghan commandos that refer to them for sponsorship, despite that Afghan units fought against the Taliban on a life-threatening missions against the Taliban.
MOD had earlier denied that there was a blanket policy to reject the members of the units – known as Triples – but the BBC has not found any evidence that the UK special forces (UKFs) have any rehabilitation Supported applications.
Asked whether UKSF has supported any application, MOD refused to answer the question.
Triples – so -called because their designations were CF 333 and ATF 444 – were installed, trained and paid by the UK special forces and supported SAS and SBS on operations in Afghanistan. When the country fell into the Taliban in 2021, he was judged to be in serious threat to vengeance and was entitled to apply for rehabilitation in Britain.
The rejection of his applications was controversial as he came at a time when a public inquiry in Britain was investigating. It is alleged that special forces committed war crimes on operations in Afghanistan Where triple was present.
Investigation has the power to force witnesses that are in the UK, but not non-UK citizens who are abroad. If reconsideration, former members of the triple can be forced by investigation to provide potentially important evidence.
BBC Panorama revealed early this year The command of special forces of the UK was given veto power on their rehabilitation applications and refused them Asylum in Britain. The revelation led to a wave of anger among some former SAS members and others serving with Afghan units.
MOD initially denied VETO’s existence, suggesting that BBC reporting was wrong, but the then-defined minister Andrew Murison The House of Commons were later forced to tell that the government had misled Parliament. In its refusal.
More than 2,000 rejections were confirmed at the court hearing earlier this month during the legal challenge brought by a former member of Triples. The lawyers applied for a ban order for the MOD, which prevented the BBC from reporting on the relevant parts of the proceedings, before withdrawing their application last week as part of the challenge.
The documents stated in the court have also revealed that the mod veto was denying the existence of the at the same time, it was already known that the decision of every rejection made by the special forces of the UK was potentially unheard and independent form Will have to review from
Member of the Defense Selection Committee and former British Army Officer Mike Martin MP, who served in Afghanistan, told the BBC that the rejection was “extremely related”.
Martin said, “The presence is that special forces in the UK blocked the applications of Afghan special forces as they were currently witness to the UK war crimes being investigated in the Afghan investigation.”
“If MOD is unable to offer any explanation, the case should be included in the investigation,” he said.
Johnny Mercer, former conservative MP of Plymouth Moore View, who served with SBS in Afghanistan, testified to an Afghan investigation that he spoke to former members of the triples and the “horrific” allegations of murder by Britain’s special forces by special forces of Britain had heard.
Mercer said that it was “very clear for me that there is a pool of evidence within the Afghan community which are now in the United Kingdom that should contribute to this investigation”.
MOD began a review of last year of all 2,022 rehabilitation applications referred to and rejected by special forces of the UK. All considering the “reliable” evidence of service with triple units that included Mod Cassorkwors on the rehabilitation plan.
The government had said at that time that the review would take 12 weeks, but it has not been completed after more than a year. Some rejections have already been overturned, allowing former triples to enter the UK. But the mod has refused to inform the Afghan commandos whether they are under the review or if their reject was retained until they write the mod.
Many are hidden in Afghanistan, making it difficult to get legal representation or actively contact the mod. Dozens are reportedly beaten, tortured, or killed The group gained control of the country by the Taliban.
A former triple official said, “Although the decisions have overturned, it is too late for some people.” He said, “The delay has created a lot of problems. People have been caught by the Taliban or lost their lives,” he said.
The official said that Afghan Commandos worked with British special forces “like brothers” and felt “deception” by widespread rejection.
“If special forces made these rejects, they should say why. They should answer,” he said.
MOD is now facing a legal challenge for the aspects of reviews, in which it is not decided to inform the applicants whether their case is being reviewed or the criteria used to select those people It is being revealed.
The legal challenge is being brought by a former senior member of the triples who is now in the UK, from the commandos in Afghanistan.
Dan Kerry, a partner of Deton Pierce Gaylin, said, “Our customer’s attention is left behind on his soldiers in Afghanistan, some of whom have been killed, while they wait for these heavy delays safety decisions.”
“As things stand, they have the right to request a re -evaluation of a decision, which they have not been told about. And there are other people who think that they are part of the triples review when secret standards Will tell that they are not even seen.
Lawyers, who worked for the former Triple member, also severely criticized the level of disclosure in the case by MOD, which did not assign any documents about the decision making process from special forces or government records, which was rejection .
In the court filing, he criticized the “total insufficiency” of the disclosure of the mod, called it “a clear failure” to “observe the duty of the candor and provide the necessary explanation of the process.
The new evidence that emerged last week in the court also revealed that the mod had rejected some applicants who served with special forces of the UK in Afghanistan after 2014 – when the traditional armed forces of Britain left the Helmand province. Was – even the headquarters for sponsorship without referring to them for the UK special forces.
The mod has not explained the argument behind the policy, which was kept secret from the applicants. A MOD spokesperson said the role of the UK after 2014 “CF 333 mainly developed from war operations to train and assist, which was under the command of the Interior Ministry of Interior”.
But the officials serving with special forces of the UK told the BBC that Triple continued to support British leadership operations after 2014.
The former official serving with UKSF said, “Triple said that after 2014 Triples have not supported the operation of special forces of the UK.”
He said, “We had a squadron of CF 333. We worked together. These were NATO’s goals, the UK planned to operate,” he said.
