More than 2,000 Afghan commandos that fought alongside the SAS and SBS against the Taliban had their applications to resettle in the UK rejected, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Afghan commandos were considered in grave danger after the Taliban reclaimed the country in 2021 and became eligible for resettlement in the UK.
However, despite the MoD denying there was a blanket policy of rejecting the applications, the BBC has reported that it has failed to find a single Afghan commando that had their resettlement application approved.
The rejection of the applications was controversial because they coincided with a public inquiry assessing allegations that UK Special Forces had committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Afghan commandos, known as the Triples, were present when the alleged war crimes were committed.
BBC Panorama revealed in 2024 that UK Special Forces had a veto over Afghan resettlement applications. Something that was initially denied by the MoD, before then-Defence Minister Andrew Murrison revealed that the government had misled Parliament.
Mike Martin MP, a former British Army officer who served in Afghanistan, told the BBC the Triples’ mass rejections were “extremely concerning”.
He said: “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.
“If the MoD is unable to offer any explanation, then the matter should be included in the inquiry.”
Former Tory MP Johnny Mercer who served alongside the SBS in Afghanistan, gave evidence to the Afghan inquiry. He said he had spoken to former members of the Triples and learned of “horrific” allegations of murder by UK Special Forces.
Mercer added it was “very clear to me that there is a pool of evidence that exists within the Afghan [special forces] community that are now in the United Kingdom that should contribute to this Inquiry”.
