Afghans working for UK get temporary accommodation at Welsh army camp

Dozens of Afghans who risked their lives supporting British troops fighting the Taliban are to be given temporary accommodation at a military camp in Wales.

East Camp, a Ministry of Defense (MoD) housing estate in St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, will house 50 people by the end of this month, with more to follow next month.

The site, which can accommodate up to 180 people, will be used by families eligible for the Afghanistan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap).

The policy aims to support people and their families who work for or with the British Government and British Armed Forces in Afghanistan, such as translators, as well as those currently fleeing the Taliban regime.

Ministers have faced criticism over their handling of applications for the scheme, which has been plagued by delays and the government has acknowledged flaws in decision-making.

last month, independent It has been revealed that more than 200 Afghans who have applied for asylum in the UK have been waiting for a decision from British authorities for two years.

Campaigners say Afghans have applied for help claiming they helped British armed forces but have been left in dire straits, with many living in fear for their lives.

Last summer, ministers failed to meet their own target of clearing a backlog of around 8,000 applications waiting to be processed.

Among those still hoping to settle in the UK, nearly three years after the Taliban took over the country in August 2021, are interpreters who have worked in the British army and Afghans who have fought alongside British special forces.

a survey independentThe Beacon Report and Sky News reported how soldiers from two specific units suffered torture and murder at the hands of the Taliban after the UK refused to help.

There is evidence that they were paid, trained and worked “side by side” with British special forces before the fall of Kabul.

The government later admitted poor decision-making resulted in some Afghan heroes being denied asylum in the UK.

The government committed to reassessing 2,000 applications with credible links to specialist Afghan units.

Last year, nearly 3,000 Afghans, many of whom worked for the British army, were stranded in Islamabad, Pakistan, for months after Britain stopped charter flights and required refugees to find their own housing in Britain before traveling.

At least one Afghan translator who served in the British army has been deported from Pakistan to the Taliban while his application is pending. It was only after he was forcibly returned to Afghanistan that the British government agreed to authorize his relocation. He later managed to return to Pakistan.

An MoD spokesman said: “We are grateful to the brave Afghans who risk their lives alongside our troops to support the UK mission.

“To ensure Arap-eligible families can start settling in the UK as quickly as possible, the UK Government is providing transition and settlement accommodation on defense estates, including East Camp St Athan.

“Eligible Afghans will be temporarily housed there for approximately six weeks before being moved to more stable accommodation.”

Eligible Afghan citizens can come to the UK with their partner, dependent children and other family members who the Ministry of Defense considers to be eligible and suitable for resettlement by the Home Office.

Those arriving in the UK under the Arap scheme can stay indefinitely.

The MoD said it was working with the Welsh Government and Vale of Glamorgan Council to ensure the project is managed “with everyone in mind”, especially local people.