Ben Taggart
Afghan special forces units known as the “Triples” worked closely with the SAS in Afghanistan.
The government says it is allowing some “eligible” Afghan special forces soldiers who fought alongside the British Army to resettle in the UK, after previously being refused.
Under the previous government, around 2,000 Afghans who served in specialist units – known as 'Triples' – were refused permission to settle in the UK after the Taliban took power in 2021 .
Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard told the House of Commons a review found some requests had been wrongly refused.
Pollard said there was no evidence of “malicious intent” in the initial decision-making process, instead attributing poor record-keeping to the cause of the errors.
The so-called “Triples” were elite units of Afghan soldiers created, financed and led by the United Kingdom.
On Monday, Pollard said the government had so far overturned 25% of refusals.
He said a study had revealed new evidence that some Afghan soldiers had been paid directly by the UK government, meaning they were eligible for resettlement – and this evidence had been 'overlooked' during initial applications resettlement.
These errors were caused by “a failure to access and share the correct digital records, as well as difficulties with information flow between departments,” he said.
He criticized the previous government for its “critical failure” in finding the right documents.
The defense minister said the government had urgently reviewed many cases because many Afghan soldiers “remain in danger” under Taliban rule.
Some of the Triples were reportedly targeted and killed by the Taliban.
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Luke Pollard said the review “is still ongoing and each application is considered on its own merits.”
The review of rejected applications was announced by the previous Conservative government in February, after former Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the decision-making process behind some rejections had not been “robust “.
Pollard said the review's findings did not mean all triplets would be eligible for resettlement, adding that officials were still re-evaluating some of the applications.
Shadow Veterans Affairs Minister Andrew Bowie welcomed the continued review.
He said Conservatives wanted the right decisions to be made on “very important and very sensitive requests, as quickly and fairly as possible”.
