An Afghanistan pilot who served with British forces fighting the Taliban fled to the UK in a small boat but now faces being deported to Rwanda.
The air force lieutenant was praised as a “patriot to his nation” and flew 30 combat missions fighting against the terrorist group.
But despite that he was forced into hiding after the country’s government fell and the Taliban took control.
He was left in a situation that made it “impossible” to make it to Britain using a safe route, he reportedly said.
But, he has told the Independent his story and that he is just one of a number of Afghan forces personnel who have been “forgotten” by US and UK forces as they abandoned their promises.
The UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 was a "dark chapter" for the country, senior Conservative and leader of the Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood said.
Whilst the desperate evacuation efforts, as the Afghanistan government collapsed, saw around 15,000 people brought to the UK, a report from the House of Commons Defence Committee said the preparations should have been better.
The world could only watch in horror as Taliban forces swept across the country and government's forces folded, leaving the terror group to once again take control.
The pilot told the Independent: “What safe and legal way was there after the fall of Afghanistan? You entered Afghanistan on the first day as a friendly and brotherly country, and now this bad day has come upon us. [The UK government should] keep the promise of friendship and cooperation that you made, and fulfil it.
“The American and British forces have forgotten us. We worked with them and we helped them like they were our brothers. We are not Talib, we are not Isis, so why are they leaving us like this?”
This comes after the Conservative government recently passed a bill that would leave anyone who travels to the UK via small boat deported and banned from returning - if it ever becomes operational.
The bill has been fiercely criticised but the government contested that there is no reason for anyone to enter the UK illegally because there are safe and legal routes to claim asylum.
One such route is the Afghan relocation and assistance policy (ARAP) scheme, but the pilot has said he was in no position to use it.
Whilst around 11,000 people have used the ARAP scheme, over 4,000 people are believed to still be waiting for help and the general scheme for resettling Afghans has only brought 22 people to the UK.
Speaking of his current situation, the Afghan pilot said they were threatened every day to be sent to Rwanda or back to Afghanistan.
The outlet reported that a Home Office official told the pilot an official decision had not yet been made but they had evidence he had been in Italy, Switzerland, and France which would have “consequences” for his asylum application.
Rodney Liberato, from the US Department of State, is said to be supporting the pilot’s claim and reportedly described him as a “fine young man, a superb son, brother, husband, father, friend and a patriot for his nation”.
Care4Calais, a volunteer run refugee charity, has also been working with the pilot and founder Clare Moseley told The Mirror: “Our client worked with UK forces but rather than being provided with a safe route to escape the Taliban he had to make a dangerous crossing across the Channel.
“Now our government plans to ban people like him from claiming asylum altogether and subject them to indefinite detention and forced deportation to places where we can’t guarantee their safety.
“We should be giving safe passage to these brave refugees. This would stop small boat crossings, put people smugglers out of business overnight and, more importantly, save lives."
Afghans now account for the largest number of people coming to the UK on small boats, with over 9,000 making the trip last year.
A Home Office spokesperson said that they did not routinely comment on individual cases, but added: “We remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the situation back to the UK.
“We continue to work with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans.”
