Watch a video clip of this article here:
Were Afghan asylum claims vetoed because of a war crimes inquiry? That is what the evidence seems to suggest.
According to the BBC, UK Special Forces (UKSF) command rejected resettlement applications from more than 2,000 Afghan commandos who had shown credible evidence of service in units that fought alongside the SAS and SBS – every single application that had been received.
This is despite the fact that, when the country fell to the Taliban in 2021, they were judged to be in grave danger of reprisal and were entitled to apply for resettlement to the UK.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The rejection of their applications came when a public inquiry in the UK was investigating allegations that British Special Forces had committed war crimes on operations in Afghanistan where the Afghan commandos were present.
The inquiry may compel witnesses who are in the UK, but not non-UK nationals who are overseas. If resettled, former Afghan commandos could be compelled by the inquiry to provide potentially significant evidence.
So it seems their applications were subjected to a blanket veto – the existence of which was denied by the Tory government of the time. Then-defence minister Andrew Murrison was subsequently forced to admit that the government had misled Parliament with its denials.
The resettlement vetoes meant the commandos had to stay in Afghanistan, where their lives were endangered. And of course a dead commando cannot give evidence about alleged war crimes. Dozens have reportedly been beaten, tortured or killed by the Taliban since that group regained control of the country. Blood on UKSF’s hands?
Mike Martin MP, a member of the defence select committee and former British Army officer who served in Afghanistan, told the BBC the rejections were “extremely concerning”.
“There is the appearance that UK Special Forces blocked the Afghan special forces applications because they were witnesses to the alleged UK war crimes currently being investigated in the Afghan inquiry,” Martin said.
The MoD began a review last year of all 2,022 rejected resettlement applications, and some rejections have already been overturned, allowing former Triples to come to the UK.
Johnny Mercer [pictured], the former Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, who served alongside the SBS in Afghanistan, testified to the Afghan inquiry that he had spoken to former [Afghan commandos] and heard “horrific” allegations of murder by UK Special Forces.
Mercer said it was “very clear to me that there is a pool of evidence that exists within the Afghan [special forces] community that are now in the United Kingdom that should contribute to this Inquiry”.
What crimes will they reveal? And, if there has been an attempt to hide those crimes by leaving these Afghan commandos in danger, will anybody in UKSF face the consequences?
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Were Afghan asylum claims vetoed because of a war crimes inquiry?
Watch a video clip of this article here:
Were Afghan asylum claims vetoed because of a war crimes inquiry? That is what the evidence seems to suggest.
According to the BBC, UK Special Forces (UKSF) command rejected resettlement applications from more than 2,000 Afghan commandos who had shown credible evidence of service in units that fought alongside the SAS and SBS – every single application that had been received.
This is despite the fact that, when the country fell to the Taliban in 2021, they were judged to be in grave danger of reprisal and were entitled to apply for resettlement to the UK.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The rejection of their applications came when a public inquiry in the UK was investigating allegations that British Special Forces had committed war crimes on operations in Afghanistan where the Afghan commandos were present.
The inquiry may compel witnesses who are in the UK, but not non-UK nationals who are overseas. If resettled, former Afghan commandos could be compelled by the inquiry to provide potentially significant evidence.
So it seems their applications were subjected to a blanket veto – the existence of which was denied by the Tory government of the time. Then-defence minister Andrew Murrison was subsequently forced to admit that the government had misled Parliament with its denials.
The resettlement vetoes meant the commandos had to stay in Afghanistan, where their lives were endangered. And of course a dead commando cannot give evidence about alleged war crimes. Dozens have reportedly been beaten, tortured or killed by the Taliban since that group regained control of the country. Blood on UKSF’s hands?
The MoD began a review last year of all 2,022 rejected resettlement applications, and some rejections have already been overturned, allowing former Triples to come to the UK.
What crimes will they reveal? And, if there has been an attempt to hide those crimes by leaving these Afghan commandos in danger, will anybody in UKSF face the consequences?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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