UKOfficial Confirms Afghan Special Forces Were Employed by British Government

UK Admits to Directly Employing Afghan Special Forces

London, October 16, 2024 – The British government has finally admitted that itdirectly employed Afghan elite special forces, paying them salaries, according to reports from the Independent and The Times on October 14th. This revelationcomes after allegations that these soldiers, who had applied for resettlement in the UK following the British withdrawal from Afghanistan, were largely denied.

The admission follows a joint investigation byseveral British media outlets, including the Independent and Sky News, which was published late last year. This investigation, based on interviews with over 100 former Afghan special forces members and British veterans, as well as analysis of extensive documents,contradicted the British Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) previous claims that the special forces unit known as Triples had not closely collaborated with the UK.

The investigation revealed that the collaboration was indeed close, with these Afghan soldiers receivingdirect salaries from the British government. Many of them continued to receive these salaries until just days before the British evacuation from Kabul in August 2021.

On October 14th, Luke Pollard, a senior official at the MOD, acknowledged the direct employment of these Afghan soldiers before the House of Commons.He stated that the new Labour government, under a review of the previous Conservative government’s claims, found evidence of direct employment. Pollard also revealed that over 2,000 applications for resettlement in the UK from these soldiers have been denied and are currently being reviewed. However, he indicated that only about 25% of these applications are expected to be approved, allowing eligible soldiers and their families to immigrate to the UK.

Officials have now confirmed that there is evidence that the UK government paid money to members of the Afghan special forces, including CF333 and ATF444 (the unit numbers of the two’Triples’ units), Pollard said in Parliament. For some of them, this indicates a direct employment relationship… This, of course, is in direct contrast to what the previous government reported to Parliament, (they) said there was no evidence of such direct employment.

The report highlights that despite this close relationship,these soldiers were not allowed to leave Afghanistan with the British forces in August 2021. Many of them subsequently sought assistance from the MOD, but were denied.

Despite the media reports last year, British officials continued to publicly question the claim that Triples soldiers were directly paid by the UK government.James Heappey, a former senior MOD official, had stated that MOD officials did not acknowledge the UK government’s employment of these soldiers.

However, Pollard now argues that while his predecessor Heappey and other officials provided inaccurate information to Parliament, the new government has confirmed the truth.

This admission raises serious questions about theUK’s commitment to its Afghan allies and the handling of their resettlement applications. It also highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability from the British government in its dealings with foreign forces.

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