UK: Special Forces rejected resettlement of over 2,000 Afghan commandos

The United Kingdom has confirmed for the first time that British Special Forces rejected the resettlement applications of over 2,000 Afghan commandos who served alongside the British military for two decades.

According to a report by the BBC, the Ministry of Defence appeared to confirm that Special Forces officers rejected all 2,022 applications from former Afghan commandos referred to them for sponsorship and resettlement in the UK, despite MoD caseworkers having cited “credible” evidence of their service in units that fought alongside the British SAS and SBS.

The ministry’s confirmation of those thousands of rejections reportedly emerged in court hearings earlier in February, which was a result of a legal challenge brought against the Special Forces by one of the former Afghan commanders who now resides in the UK.

The admittance follows on the MoD’s previous denial of a blanket policy to reject members of those Afghan units, with the ministry having begun a review last year of the resettlement applications. Although the British government said the review would take 12 weeks, it has now been over a year and it has yet to be completed.

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While the exact reasons for the rejections have not been confirmed, there is rampant speculation that the primary reason is to prevent those former partner commandos from revealing war crimes committed by British Special Forces in Afghanistan throughout the two decades-long occupation – a matter which is currently under investigation.

“There is the appearance that UK Special Forces blocked the Afghan special forces applications because they were witnesses to the alleged UK war crimes currently being investigated in the Afghan inquiry,” MP Mike Martin – a member of the Defence Select Committee and former British army officer who served in Afghanistan – told the outlet. He called the rejections “extremely concerning”.

Former Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, who served alongside the SBS in Afghanistan, was also quoted as having heard “horrific” allegations of murder by UK Special Forces, saying it was “very clear to me that there is a pool of evidence that exists within the Afghan [special forces] community… that should contribute to this inquiry.”