Writer:Salima Aryaei
The UK Ministry of Defense has announced that Afghan citizens who previously collaborated with British forces and are eligible for resettlement in the UK will no longer receive direct assistance from London to leave Afghanistan and will have to find their own way out of the country.
In a written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Luke Pollard said that nearly 9,000 Afghan citizens eligible for relocation to the UK are still waiting to be moved, but the government has decided to end practical support for their departure from Afghanistan.
He emphasized that these individuals should make their way to a third country when they are able to do so. According to him, once they reach third countries, arrangements for issuing visas and resettling them in the UK will be made until 2028.
UK officials have stated that some of these individuals have already been able to move to countries like Pakistan this year and continue their relocation process from there.
The UK Defense Minister stated that this decision was made based on increasing evidence of successful departures, as well as an assessment of risks and costs for taxpayers. He added that continuing this process indefinitely is not feasible.
