Afghan pilot threatened with deportation says he feels ‘abandoned’ by UK

LONDON: An Afghan pilot who flew combat missions alongside British and US forces against the Taliban said he feels “abandoned” after his UK resettlement application was rejected, the Independent reported on Saturday.

The unnamed former lieutenant in the Afghan Air Force arrived in the UK on a small boat that crossed the English Channel because there were no safe routes for him to use, he said.

The pilot, who flew more than 30 combat missions against the Taliban, is being threatened with deportation to Rwanda after his application to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) scheme was rejected on the grounds that he was “not eligible.”

The pilot was told that he did not meet the criteria for Arap because of its requirement to have been “directly employed” or “in partnership” with the UK government, armed forces or contractors, the Independent reported.

The government said it did not accept that his role had “resulted in a high and imminent risk of a threat to (his) life.” He was also told this week that allied operations in Afghanistan would not have been “materially less efficient or materially less successful” without him.

“I am really disappointed,” he told The Independent.

He added: “We weren’t carrying out simple tasks in Afghanistan — we were doing your missions. Without our Afghan forces, the UK and US wouldn’t have been able to do their activities.

“Who are these people who think Afghan veterans are not in danger? They clearly don’t understand the situation in Afghanistan — right now the Taliban are mercenaries, targeting people like me who worked alongside UK and US forces.”

The pilot warned that Afghan veterans around the world are “reading stories about how we are being treated in the UK.

“The UK is losing the trust of those who served alongside your forces, and that is not good for the future. Arap should include people like me who served alongside your forces.”

As the pilot waits to see if he will be sent to Rwanda, he is also waiting to hear if he will be granted sanctuary by the US, which has said it will review his case.

Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, told The Independent that the pilot being “cast off” by the British for the US to deal with was a “complete abrogation of our responsibilities and decency.”

Air Marshal Edward Stringer, commander of Royal Air Force operations during the Afghan conflict, said that the UK government was making a “weaseling distinction” over the pilot’s war record.

“The de facto contract was that we encouraged Afghans to join the security services and fight alongside us to achieve our ends, putting themselves at risk from regressive and dangerous forces such as the Taliban,” Stringer added.

A government spokesperson said that the UK remained committed to protecting vulnerable people fleeing Afghanistan, having brought about 24,500 people to Britain.

“We continue to work with like-minded partners and countries neighboring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans,” they added.