UK is helping only those Afghans who helped them as interpreters in Afghanistan
Germany intends to receive only 10000, Canada 20000 and America 30000 Afghan refugees
London: The first rescue mission carrying Afghan evacuees and stranded Brits has landed safely in the UK after escaping the clutches of the Taliban, say reports.
An RAF Airbus KC2 Voyager aircraft landed at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, on Tuesday, after a dramatic escape from Kabul.
The plane, said to be carrying Brit personnel and Afghan interpreters is one of a number of flights expected to land in the next few days as evacuation efforts continue.
The Mail Online reports that trapped Afghan translators claimed militant gunmen wanted to kill them before they could board RAF mercy flights.
Several interpreters said they were hiding with their young families near to the airfield in Kabul, but couldn’t get to safety because of Taliban checkpoints.
At least 12 military flights were said to have taken off from Kabul on Tuesday, including three UK planes.
Despite hopes the UK would extract more than 1,000 people per day, numbers have so far fallen short. About 150 Brit nationals came out on Sunday, along with 289 Afghan nationals over the last week.
Around 20,000 of the refugees are set to be given sanctuary in the UK over the coming years.
The Home Office has been accused of failing to act quickly enough after it revealed that only 5,000 Afghans facing persecution would be relocated in the first year.
The 20,000 is in addition to 5,000 Afghans – whose lives are in danger because they helped the UK – who are coming under an existing scheme. About 2,000 of them are already here.
Afghans who apply as part of the new plans are expected to be forced to make the perilous journey to camps in neighboring countries including Pakistan and potentially Iran.
The United Nations says roughly 400,000 people in Afghanistan have been forced to flee their homes since the start of the year, with up to 30,000 leaving the country every week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson who has set out his plans, said: “We owe a debt of gratitude to those who worked with us to make Afghanistan a better place over the last 20 years.”
“Many of them, particularly women, are now in urgent need of our help.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel last night chaired a meeting of the Five Eyes intelligence allies – comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US – to identify safe routes for those who have to flee.
Germany says it must urgently evacuate around 10,000 vulnerable people from Afghanistan.
Canada has promised to resettle over 20,000 Afghans who are at risk. The US figure is roughly 30,000.
There are people in Afghanistan, interpreters, officials and others, who worked with the British armed forces and are going to be in great danger, whatever the Taliban is saying publicly.
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Courtesy: Mirror, London
