Nasir*, 43, is a British citizen, stuck in Jalalabad with his six-year-old son, also a British citizen, and his wife, who is an Afghan national.
Afghanistan: the left behind
The crowds fighting to get into Kabul airport for evacuation dispersed months ago, but while the scramble to leave Taliban-controlled Afghanistan became less visible when the last foreign troops left in August 2021, it got no less desperate.
Since then, reprisal killings have regularly been reported from across the country, including dozens detailed in a recent report from Human Rights Watch.
For those still in Afghanistan, living in hiding or in permanent fear for months now, the dangers seem to be increasing as the options for escape narrow.
The UK government has tightened rules for its ARAP visa programme for former employees.
A second scheme offering a path to safety to a wider section of Afghans at risk was heavily promoted by the government but it only began operating this month, and there are no details of how individuals can apply.
And while the Taliban have largely kept a promise to allow those with tickets and documents to fly out, Afghan passports are difficult to secure , visas are even more challenging, and flights are still prohibitively expensive.
This series features the stories of those who are trapped, in Afghanistan or in limbo as they search for safe haven, fearing for their lives from Taliban attacks or through hunger because they cannot work.
I moved to the UK as a refugee in 2000, because I was having a lot of problems with the Taliban, and I had been arrested, so I knew it was time to leave. I claimed asylum in Britain and have lived there for about 21 years. To begin with I worked as a motorcycle mechanic, and then as a pizza delivery driver, and later for Addison Lee and after that as an Uber driver. I’ve been supporting my mum and my sisters in Afghanistan for years, sending money back. I’ve been spending six months in the UK earning money and six months with my family in Afghanistan.
I got married in Jalalabad and we had a son in 2015. I’ve been trying to move my wife to London with me since then; I was here with them in the summer as the Taliban advanced. I told the Foreign Office in July that I needed to leave urgently with my wife and son. They issued a visa waiver so my wife could travel, and we were able to book flights to London.
Unfortunately the Taliban arrived in Kabul before our departure date, and the flights were cancelled. I was told to travel to Kabul airport to get on a British evacuation flight but we couldn’t get anywhere near the gates.
It’s a dangerous time to be here as a British citizen. The Taliban came to my house and asked for me when I wasn’t there; they arrested a close family member and he was imprisoned for a few days. I called the Foreign Office to tell them, but they said there’s nothing we can do for you.
I feel scared and I was expecting the British government to help me. I went into hiding for a while. I’ve tried asking Foreign Office staff if my wife’s visa waiver is still valid, but no one seems to know. They just say: you need to wait for the new Afghan resettlement programme to open and there are no clear details on when that will be.
My son should be in school, but at the moment we’re not letting him out of the house because he is a kidnap target. People think British citizens are rich, and there’s a real risk he could be kidnapped. I’m getting more and more into debt the longer I’m here because there’s no work. So far I owe friends about $10,000 (£7,300).
People are struggling; the only work is in shops or driving taxis. It is very depressing and it’s also very dangerous. Everyday in Jalalabad there are reports of Isis attacking the Taliban. I’ve never seen a situation like this before.
It’s breaking my heart that I haven’t been helped by Britain to leave. I’m in touch with over 200 other British passport holders who are stuck like me, and we’re messaging each other most days, trying to find out if there is any news.
About 15 have managed to get back to Britain, but they are the ones who didn’t have wives or children here, they were just back visiting parents. I think of Britain as my own country, but I’m being treated like a second-class citizen. I feel very let down.
A UK government spokesperson said it could not comment on individual cases, but added: “The UK has supported over 3,000 people to leave Afghanistan since the end of Operation Pitting, including over 1,200 British nationals and eligible dependants. We continue to do all we can to help remaining British nationals and their eligible family members to safety. A fiance, partner, and children under the age of 18 are able to join a British national or settled person in the UK, provided they meet the requirements under the family rules.”
*The name has been changed for this article.
