UK Gov't Pledge to Resettle 20,000 Afghans Slammed as ‘Not Meeting the Scale of the Challenge’
05:44 GMT 18.08.2021 (Updated: 15:15 GMT 28.05.2023)
© REUTERS / UK MOD Crown copyright 2021
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The UK Parliament is being recalled from summer recess for Wednesday’s debate on a response to the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban capitalized on the withdrawal of US and NATO troops to carry out a lightning-fast advance. As the Islamist militant group entered the capital Kabul, Western nations stepped up evacuations from the country.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled the government’s plans to take in up to 20,000 vulnerable Afghans in the long-term as part of a resettlement plan following the takeover of the South Asian country by the Taliban* militant group.
The government will relocate up to 5,000 Afghans in the UK in the first year, according to the scheme, with women, girls, religious and other minorities deemed to be most at risk of human rights abuses given priority, according to Sky News.
Unveiled ahead of Wednesday’s emergency debate in the House of Commons on the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, the resettlement plan will be maintained beyond its first year, under review, to eventually grant relocation to Britain to a total of 20,000 Afghans.
People wait outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 17, 2021.
© REUTERS / STRINGER
The scheme is a modification of the seven-year programme applied to Syrian refugees.
Under then-Prime Minister David Cameron Britain responded to the refugee crisis facing Europe by “living up to its moral responsibility” and agreeing to take in 20,000 refugees from camps on the borders of Syria over a period of five years. Cameron had said that the refugees would not immediately be granted full asylum status, but instead a humanitarian status that would allow them to apply for asylum at the end of five years.
The Syrian resettlement scheme was in place from 2014 until its closure earlier this year.
‘Obligation to Do More’
However, critics believe the UK has an obligation to take in more refugees. Former cabinet minister David Davis said the UK should review the numbers, and look to accept more than 50,000 Afghans due to its “direct moral responsibility" following the country’s “two decades” of military intervention in Afghanistan.
A similar tone was echoed by the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the House of Commons, Ian Blackford, who said the UK should grant asylum to 35,000 or more Afghan refugees.
“The appalling situation in Afghanistan is one of the biggest foreign policy failures in modern times – and the UK Government bears its share of responsibility,” said Blackford. He added:
“The immediate priority must be to do everything we can to protect lives, but in time there must also be a chance to review how the UK's involvement in Afghanistan went so badly wrong. The UK Government must commit to a future judge-led inquiry into the war in Afghanistan to ensure full scrutiny, accountability and lessons learned."
The Liberal Democrats said the resettlement of 20,000 Afghans that Downing Street has promised should be "the starting point" and "not the target".
Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul’s airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others
© REUTERS / Shekib Rahmani
The UK Labour Party slammed the proposed resettlement scheme, underscoring that it "does not meet the scale of the challenge" and risked "leaving people in Afghanistan in deadly danger".
In response, the Home Office conceded that the new Afghan resettlement scheme faced "significant challenges" due to the "complex picture on the ground", adding that ministers were "working at speed" to address the volatile situation.
Route to ‘Save Lives’
Western nations have been stepping up evacuations from Afghanistan since the takeover of the capital, Kabul, by Taliban. A British Royal Air Force plane carrying British nationals, embassy staff and Afghans landed at Royal Air Force Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, earlier.
Since Saturday, 520 British nationals, diplomats and former Afghan staff have left the country on UK military flights.
The new Afghanistan scheme unveiled by the UK Prime Minister is separate to the already in place Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). The latter grants priority relocation to Britain for current or former staff employed by the UK in Afghanistan if their lives are deemed to be under serious threat.
Under ARAP, some 5,000 former Afghan staff and their family members are expected to be relocated to the UK by the end of this year, with over 2,000 already resettled under the policy.
Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key, the commander of joint operations and in charge of the UK's evacuation effort, was cited by the outlet as saying a total of between 6,000-7,000 British nationals, entitled persons and ARAP staff might need evacuating.
Addressing security concerns, the Home Office underscored that the new resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees would "not compromise on national security", with arrivals passing strict security checks.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have 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. I am proud that the UK has been able to put in place this route to help them and their families live safely in the UK,” said Boris Johnson, commenting on the resettlement scheme.
Home Secretary Priti Patel added that the scheme would "save lives".
Afghanistan Policy ‘Going Forward’
The resettlement plans were announced after Johnson spoke with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night following the fall of Kabul on 15 August.
The two leaders “discussed the need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan policy going forward”, according to the White House.
The US and UK “agreed on the need for the global community to come together to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,” with the prime minister committing to “increased humanitarian aid to the region and resettlement of refugees,” said a statement friom Downing Street.
It was also announced that Johnson and Biden would partake in a virtual session with G7 leaders next week “to discuss a common strategy and approach” to the developments.
After a weeks-long offensive, launched after the start of the withdrawal of foreign troops, the Taliban group swiftly seized territory from government forces. Its capture of the country's capital prompted President Ashraf Ghani to resign and flee. At their first press conference the movement has since declared that it would pardon all former Afghan officials, promised to allow women to work, receive an education, and enjoy other rights "within Sharia law’s framework".
Taliban also expressed a desire for peaceful relations with other countries.
“We don’t want any internal or external enemies,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, the armed group’s main spokesman.
The Taliban, itself designated as a terrorist organisation in many countries of the world, also vowed to prevent terrorist groups from taking hold in Afghanistan.
*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other nations.
