Latest news with #Afghans'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
ROS WYNNE JONES: 'Every Afghan hero deserves a UK passport. This country has failed them'
Today, the super-injunction protecting the story behind thousands of Afghans' secret evacuation has ended. And it is time to thank them for their service We owed them our loyalty and their safety. Thousands of brave Afghans who fought alongside British troops, translated for our officials, and worked for Britain before the Taliban swept back into power. Instead – having abandoned their country in a dishonourable, chaotic retreat – it can now be revealed that we betrayed our Afghan allies once again. This time when a British military official accidentally disclosed the personal details of more than 33,000 people, putting them at risk of murderous reprisals. This scandal was covered up by the Conservative government while 18,500 Afghans whose data was compromised were flown to Britain as part of a peacetime evacuation mission. It was the right thing to do to avoid catastrophic loss of life. But, in the wake of disinformation following the Southport murders, men, women and children were then retraumatised by riots sweeping across the country where they had come to seek sanctuary. These are people whose sacrifice has more than earned them a British passport. But instead of a thank you – the communities they were now living in faced petrol bombs, screaming crowds and their accommodation being set on fire in last summer's riots. During the worst outbreak of racial violence in the UK for decades, we now know areas with larger Afghan resettlement numbers were targeted. Even now, there are fears of copycat rioting greeting the news of the covert operation to bring these people to safety. The smallest of the lessons we need to learn from this sorry tale is about keeping data safe. We need a new way forward for communities in our country, a properly funded, grown up political strategy that addresses the tensions and division the Tories encouraged to fester. The alternative is rule by a racist mob. Thousands of Afghans have been living quietly in our country unable to tell their neighbours they had to come to the UK because our government put them in danger. Today, the super-injunction protecting the story behind the Afghans' secret evacuation has ended – and it is time for Britain to say sorry. Not just sorry for disclosing their identity. Not just sorry for abandoning their country and prioritising flights of dogs and cats while ministers were on a sun lounger. But thank you for their courage and sacrifice – and sorry for the welcome we gave them.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
'Every Afghan hero deserves a UK passport. This country has failed them at every turn'
Today, the super-injunction protecting the story behind thousands of Afghans' secret evacuation has ended. And it is time to thank them for their service. We owed them our loyalty and their safety. Thousands of brave Afghans who fought alongside British troops, translated for our officials, and worked for Britain before the Taliban swept back into power. Instead – having abandoned their country in a dishonourable, chaotic retreat – it can now be revealed that we betrayed our Afghan allies once again. This time when a British military official accidentally disclosed the personal details of more than 33,000 people, putting them at risk of murderous reprisals. This scandal was covered up by the Conservative government while 18,500 Afghans whose data was compromised were flown to Britain as part of a peacetime evacuation mission. It was the right thing to do to avoid catastrophic loss of life. But, in the wake of disinformation following the Southport murders, men, women and children were then retraumatised by riots sweeping across the country where they had come to seek sanctuary. These are people whose sacrifice has more than earned them a British passport. But instead of a thank you – they faced petrol bombs, screaming crowds and their accommodation being set on fire in last summer's riots. During the worst outbreak of racial violence in the UK for decades, we now know areas with larger Afghan resettlement numbers were targeted. Even now, there are fears of copycat rioting greeting the news of the covert operation to bring these people to safety. The smallest of the lessons we need to learn from this sorry tale is about keeping data safe. We need a new way forward for communities in our country, a properly funded, grown up political strategy that addresses the tensions and division the Tories encouraged to fester. The alternative is rule by a racist mob. Thousands of Afghans have been living quietly in our country unable to tell their neighbours they had to come to the UK because our government put them in danger. Today, the super-injunction protecting the story behind the Afghans' secret evacuation has ended – and it is time for Britain to say sorry. Not just sorry for disclosing their identity. Not just sorry for abandoning their country and prioritising flights of dogs and cats while ministers were on a sun lounger. But thank you for their courage and sacrifice – and sorry for the welcome we gave them.
Gulf Today
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Thousands of Afghans flee Iran to escape war
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighbouring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging US aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The UN said on Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Associated Press
20-06-2025
- Politics
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and deportation
ISLAMABAD -- Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighboring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging U.S. aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The U.N. said Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with passports were arriving in Herat every day before the war. This figure is now around 4,000, Muttaqi added.
San Francisco Chronicle
20-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and deportation
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighboring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging U.S. aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The U.N. said Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with passports were arriving in Herat every day before the war. This figure is now around 4,000, Muttaqi added.
