Hundreds of Afghan ex-special forces members given path to UK resettlement
Ministers announced 884 decisions, affecting ex-soldiers from two elite units known as the “Triples”, have been overturned
Hundreds of former members of the Afghan special forces have been given a path to resettlement in the UK after a Government review of previously rejected cases.
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On Thursday, ministers announced 884 decisions, affecting ex-soldiers from two elite units known as the “Triples”, have been overturned.
They will now be eligible to stay in Britain under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap), subject to visa checks.
The scheme was set up in April 2021 to help people who feared their lives were at risk because they had worked with UK armed forces before the Taliban takeover later that year.
But, in February 2024, the then-Tory administration conceded some Arap decisions were “not robust” and promised to re-examine some 2,000 cases including troops who served in Triples units CF333 and ATF444.
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The Press Association understands that, as of Thursday, approximately 3,300 Triples applications were assessed in total as part of the review.
Parliament had previously been told that there was no evidence of direct employment, which had been used as the basis for rejecting applications under the Arap scheme.
But, last October, Labour's then-armed forces minister Luke Pollard told the Commons said officials had found details that showed payments from the British Government to Afghan troops.
He said the length of time taken to review the cases had been a “source of deep regret and concern”.
Announcing the overturned decisions on Thursday, Mr Pollard said: “The journey of improvement is, of course, a continuous one and MoD will continue to build on the learning from this review.
“Although I cannot change what happened in the past, I am proud of the work that we have undertaken to conclude this review and deliver on our promise to support eligible Triples who contributed to the UK mission in Afghanistan.”