The United Kingdom announced on Tuesday (August 17) a plan to resettle Afghans who have fled the Taliban to regain power, providing an initial 5,000 places in the first year, which will increase to 20,000 in the long run.
The news was released on the eve of a special session of the parliament on Wednesday, in which members recalled after the leave will discuss the collapse of the Afghan government, shortly after the withdrawal of Western troops.
After the Islamists returned, about 900 British troops were sent back to the Afghan capital to help repatriate thousands of British nationals, including embassy staff.
London said it will give priority to those who are most at risk, including Afghan women, children and others who have been forced to flee or face hard-line threats and persecution, so that they have the opportunity to stay in the UK indefinitely.
The Ministry of the Interior said in a statement: “This resettlement plan will be further reviewed in the next few years. In the long run, there will be a total of 20,000 people.”
The plan is based on a plan to resettle 20,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict from 2014 to this year.
In President George W. Bush’s “War on Terrorism”, the United Kingdom was one of the most staunch allies of the United States. The war was launched after the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.
In the turbulent Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, the United Kingdom alone has 9,500 personnel and 137 bases. Its participation came at a price, and more than 450 soldiers were killed.
But senior politicians and military leaders condemned the peace agreement facilitated by former US President Donald Trump, which led to the withdrawal of US-led troops and gave the Taliban a chance to make a comeback with little opposition.
The government said it is working with foreign allies, including the “Five Eyes” intelligence partnerships with the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, to identify those most at risk, even though the Taliban leaders promised an amnesty and vowed not to take action. revenge.
‘Debt of Thanksgiving’
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants G7 leaders to convene an emergency meeting to prevent Afghanistan from falling into a humanitarian disaster, and called for a “unified approach” and increased aid funds.
He said: “We want to thank everyone who has worked with us over the past 20 years to make Afghanistan a better place.”
“Many of them, especially women, urgently need our help now.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel’s family fled from Uganda in Idi Amin to the United Kingdom. He said the resettlement plan for Afghan citizens “will save lives.”
“Our country has a proud history of providing asylum to those in need. We will not abandon those who are forced to flee their homes and now live in fear of what might happen next,” she said.
Britain has come under fire for cutting its foreign aid budget and tightening immigration regulations after leaving the European Union, including migrants crossing the English Channel from France-many of which came from conflict hotspots.
After the Taliban was expelled at the end of 2001, it also faced pressure to do more to help resettle Afghan interpreters who helped the army.
The latest announcement is different from the plan, which expects to relocate 5,000 former employees and their families by the end of this year: 2,000 have arrived.
The Ministry of the Interior said that 520 British nationals, diplomats and former Afghan staff have left Afghanistan on military flights since the eve of the Taliban’s occupation of Kabul on Saturday.
