LONDON: The UK is preparing to deport Nepalese security guards who were airlifted from Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover after helping to protect Western embassies in Kabul, The Guardian reported on Monday.
Eleven Nepalese and two Indian guards, several of whom risked their lives protecting British personnel and embassy staff in Kabul, were detained as a result of government decisions on their immigration statuses and warned of their imminent deportations.
After being transported to the UK following the Western withdrawal almost two years ago, at least two of the former guards were granted indefinite leave to remain, while others were left waiting for decisions on their immigration status.
The pending deportations are believed to be the first concerning people who were successfully evacuated from Afghanistan.
The UK government has previously faced criticism over its apparent failure to evacuate those who have been forced into hiding in Afghanistan and neighboring countries due to the Taliban’s rise to power.
One of the 13 guards, 37-year-old Bam Bahadur Gurung, worked in Afghanistan for more than 10 years, partly serving as a security guard at the British and Canadian embassies in Kabul.
In 2016, several of his colleagues were killed in a suicide bombing that targeted consular guards.
Gurung was evacuated to the UK in the wake of the Taliban takeover and was provided with a hotel stay in London alongside other people who were evacuated.
He was employed by the hotel as a worker and was told that his application to resettle in the UK was “progressing” early last year.
However, he was informed by authorities several months later that his evacuation had only been a “gesture of goodwill,” and that he was ineligible to stay in the country over a long-term period.
On March 27, Gurung and the 12 other former guards were arrested and detained by the UK Home Office. He is now being held at an immigration removal facility near Gatwick Airport.
Gurung said: “I was getting ready for work when I was arrested. I am in a state of shock and am very sad about what the UK has done to me.
“I helped to protect British Embassy staff in Kabul for many years. None of us have criminal records. My dreams is to remain in the UK and serve with the British Army.”
Jamie Bell, who is legally representing Gurung and another Nepalese national in the same circumstances, said: “After being allowed to build a life in the UK, they have been betrayed and detained. Those responsible should be ashamed of how they have been treated.”
A UK government spokesperson said: “We remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the situation back to the UK.”
