Afghanistan commando who served with British Army is deported to Taliban

An Afghan former commando who fought alongside the British Army has been deported back to Afghanistan with his family while waiting for relocation to the UK under a government scheme.  The man served in an elite Afghan special forces unit known as the Triples, trained by British Special Forces. His son, using the pseudonym Rayan, fears for their lives as the Taliban continues to hunt them. Since the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the family has been pursued by a Taliban unit that has repeatedly beaten and tortured relatives in reprisal for their service with British and coalition forces. In November 2021, after the withdrawal of Western troops, the commando and his family applied for sanctuary under the UKs Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), created to protect those who supported British military operations. Their Arap claim was rejected in 2023, but after an appeal they were evacuated to Pakistan by the UK government in October that year due to the imminent risk from the Taliban. Last month, The i Paper revealed that 13 Afghans awaiting Arap clearance were deported from Pakistan back to Afghanistan, including this family, who had been detained in Islamabad during Pakistans mass expulsion of Afghan refugees. Rayan said he, his wife and child narrowly escaped arrest after hiding in a hotel bathroom during the crackdown. The special forces, the Triples, when the Taliban find them they kill them, he said. Before our evacuation [to Pakistan] the Taliban searched our home two times per week. They have beaten my family members. They broke my three-year-old nieces arm twice. They beat up my mother. When we were evacuated 11 months ago to Pakistan, we really thought our nightmares had come to an end. Now we are back in Afghanistan. Life for us here is living in fear, the fear of the loss of your family and yourself. The familys information had been exposed in a major Ministry of Defence data breach that leaked the details of almost 19,000 Afghans who applied for UK relocation. They are now in hiding in Afghanistan, awaiting approval to enter the UK. The Triples, officially known as Commando Force 333 and Afghan Territorial Force 444, were elite units that operated alongside the SAS and SBS on some of the most dangerous missions in Afghanistan. After the Taliban seized power, many members were hunted, tortured or killed. Rayans family went into hiding after their safe house was burned down by Taliban fighters searching for his father, who was detained and beaten before managing to escape.  In 2023, the UK government deemed their original Arap application not eligible. Around the same time, 2,000 resettlement applications from Afghan special forces were rejected by UK authorities amid an inquiry into alleged war crimes by British Special Forces. The MoD denied blocking ex-commandos from giving evidence to the inquiry. A review launched in 2024 overturned about 30 per cent of rejected applications, and later that year Rayans family received initial approval to relocate to the UK. Every time the Taliban they raided our house they were speaking about just one thing there, He [his father] is the killer of mujahideen, and the small punishment that we are giving to him is to kill him and take revenge, Rayan said. We have tolerated a lot of problems just with the one hope that one day the UK government will come and take my father, because he has the right to be evacuated. But we dont know that we will remain alive. The familys visas for Pakistan expired and they were detained as part of the countrys expulsion of Afghan refugees. In late 2023, Pakistan launched a mass deportation campaign ordering millions of Afghan residents to leave voluntarily or face removal on security grounds. Rayan said British authorities were aware they had been threatened with deportation by Pakistans police and that they were granted a final one-month visa extension after being arrested earlier in the year. He said he had pleaded with British officials to help renew their visas but was told no further assistance could be offered. Unfortunately, they told us that we are not able to provide you any visa, we cannot guarantee that they are not deporting you and we cant do anything more, he said. Despite repeated appeals, Rayan said the family has still not received a final decision on their Arap application. Other families of Afghans who served in the Triples have already been relocated to the UK, he said. Every day, I have tried to ask them, the Ministry of Defence, the British High Commission people, to seek out whats the reason. Why didnt they take my family to the UK? If they are taking people that worked with the British forces, my father has worked several years with the British forces. Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, told The i Paper: Given the apparent threat to the safety of this family, the MoD should prioritise making a decision in this case and, if service with a Triples unit is confirmed, then they be brought to safety in this country as soon as possible. The UK government said it is engaging with Pakistans authorities to seek protection for Afghans awaiting relocation but acknowledged that deportation decisions remain under Pakistans jurisdiction. An MoD spokesperson said: We are honouring our commitments to all eligible people once they pass their relevant checks for relocation. As the public would rightly expect, anyone coming to the UK must pass strict security and entry checks before being able to relocate to the UK. The UK Government is engaged with the government of Pakistan on this issue, providing support to those being processed in third countries where possible.The post Afghanistan commando who served with British Army is deported to Taliban appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.