Minister grilled on plight of Afghan special forces paid by Britain

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Defence minister James Heappey was grilled by MPs on Monday over the plight of the Afghan special forces items who served shoulder-to-shoulder with British troops, however who’ve been deserted by the UK.

The Independent revealed in a joint investigation that members of two elite items, often called the Triples, had been denied sanctuary within the UK regardless of being educated and paid by the UK authorities.

Labour’s shadow safety minister Dan Jarvis, who served in Afghanistan, quizzed Mr Heappey on why the Afghan commandos have been being denied assist if they’d been successfully employed by the British.

He requested Mr Heappey within the Commons: “There has been some debate about the extent to which the Triples were paid directly by UK forces. I know that that was the case, does the minister accept that?”

Mr Heappey, who has prior to now performed down the Triples’ connections to the British forces, stated there was “a difference in opinion between the advice that I receive from officials and the advice that the honorable gentleman sets out”. He invited the Labour shadow minister to satisfy civil servants to debate the subject and “reach some truth”.

In a joint investigation with newsroom Lighthouse Reports and Sky News, The Independent revealed that the 2 Triples items – formally known as Commando Force 333 (CF333) and Afghan Territorial Force 444 (ATF444) – had served in such shut partnerhip with the British that they acquired a wage instantly from the UK authorities, with many of them paid proper up till days earlier than the autumn of Kabul.

Members of each items initially acquired a month-to-month wage from the British authorities, paid in money. A couple of years after they have been arrange within the early 2000s, the items moved to an Afghan authorities construction.

At this level, troopers began acquired an official Afghan authorities wage that was paid into financial institution accounts, in addition to their British wage. This later modified in order that British cash was paid as a “top-up” relying on service. This has been confirmed by Afghan commandos and by their British advisers.

A doc that seems to be a payslip signed by a “UK Rep” was additionally printed as half of the joint investigation.

When grilled on why so many Afghans who served instantly alongside British forces have been denied relocation, Mr Heappey stated that “there has to be limits on the UK schemes”.

He continued: “No country has made an open offer to those who served in the Afghan security forces. All countries are focused on those who worked directly with that country.

“Clearly it’s a matter for debate as to what that direct service looks like.”

Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, Sir Julian Lewis MP, pressed the defence minister, saying: “Surely special consideration should be given to Afghan members of the special forces, who even if they did not work directly for us, worked extremely closely with us?”

He requested what number of of these troopers have been “under constant threat to their lives and ought to be rescued?”

Mr Heappey replied {that a} quantity of 4-500 “is circulated”, however that the federal government doesn’t know as a result of they “don’t have the employment records of those units”.

Campaigners have individually estimated that there are round 2,000 members of the Triples who’ve been left behind – however that not all of them would go for relocation to the UK.