An Afghan Allowance?

More of an Ethical question.
With the escalting situation in Afghanistan seeing Emergency action currently being undertaken, should the U.K take a morally stance and provide political asylum and humanitarian refugee status to those Afghan people who have assisted the fight against the Taliban during the war?

As well as repatriating UK nationals and senior Afghani political figures, as a country should we also look to provide a safe haven for all those who will face certain reprisal action from Taliban forces.

 

LABOUR calls on Priti Patel to urgently expand re-settlement programme for Afghans: ( Chiara Giordano)
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Labour has called on home secretary Priti Patel to urgently expand the re-settlement programme for Afghans who have worked with the British military and government organisations over the past 20 years.
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Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: "We must now live up to our obligations, especially to those Afghan people who worked so bravely with British representatives in Afghanistan.

"This process must include looking to help Afghan workers who helped in vital areas such as military, media and those who supported the work of the Department for International Development.

"The Taliban's return is likely to drive many thousands of people from their homes, with women and girls at particular risk. The UK Government must put in place specific safe and legal asylum routes to help provide support."

 

Meanwhile in Scotland:

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the UK Government should follow Canada’s lead in offering support.
"The Scottish Government is willing to 'play our full part' to help Afghan refugees fleeing the 'horrifying situation' in their country"

FM: Scottish Government will 'play part' to help Afghan refugees - STV News

Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland ready to help Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban | HeraldScotland

 

Of course the uk government should live up to its international obligations in relation to refugees, from wherever they originate, but this clearly racist scumbag 'nasty party' government will try to place limits on those obligations.

 

Britons stuck in Afghanistan or with stranded relatives amid the worsening situation today told of chaotic scenes at Kabul Airport as they were stuck with no food or water and grounded flights leaving them vulnerable to the extreme



Britons in Kabul plead with UK government to fly them home (msn.com)

 

The UK government is working to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans from the country, with 370 embassy staff and others flown to the UK over the weekend and plans to fly out 1,500 people in the coming days.

• But campaigners say ministers must go further and establish safe and legal routes for a wider pool of Afghan people driven from their homes.

Priti Patel facing growing pressure to create safe routes to UK for Afghans (msn.com)

 

As I predicted, this Racist, Fascist scumbag 'nasty party' government are denying their international obligations and attempting to limit the potential numbers of refugees that will claim status and try to travel here.


Home Office denies it won't welcome Afghans because 'it will send the wrong message to other refugees'

Rebecca Speare-Cole
16 August 2021, 4:11 pm
The Home Office has denied reports that it will not welcome Afghans because it could “send the wrong message to other refugees”.

Senior military officials said the government department is reluctant to give asylum to those from Afghanistan because of how it could be perceived by other refugees, The Sunday Times reported over the weekend.

It comes as the country has fallen to the Taliban, prompting expectations that hundreds of thousands will flee the country.

But the Home Office has refuted the statements made to the Times.

In a tweet on Tuesday, it said: “The comments made to the Sunday Times are categorically incorrect.
“The Home Secretary @pritipatel spoke only on Friday about the huge amount of work being undertaken to bring people safely to the United Kingdom.

Priti Patel said on Friday an "enormous resettlement programme" to relocate British nationals and Afghan nationals who have helped the UK government, is a "priority".

In an interview, she said: “What we are witnessing in Afghanistan right now is absolutely unprecedented.”

She added that “a tragedy is unfolding and a humanitarian crisis emerging”.

The latest development comes as several Tory MPs criticised the government for its handling of the crisis.
John Baron, Tory MP for Basildon and Billericay, has called for Boris Johnson to apologise to veterans and families who lost loved ones.

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood, the Tory MP for Bournemouth East, described chaotic scenes at Kabul airport as "Saigon 2.0", referencing evacuations in 1975 as the North Vietnamese army captured the city and ended the Vietnam War.

In a tweet, he said: "Is this how we thought we'd depart Afghanistan? I repeat my call for a UK inquiry."

While Nus Ghani, Conservative MP for Wealden, told the BBC: "In one fell swoop we've taken the country back 20 years."

Crossbench peer and former cabinet secretary Lord Sedwill warned this was "a humiliating moment for the West".

Meanwhile, Graham Knight, father of 25-year-old RAF Sergeant Ben Knight, who was killed when his Nimrod aircraft exploded in Afghanistan in 2006, said: "As for whether people's lives were lost through a war that wasn't winnable, I think they were."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said there was an "obligation" to those in Afghanistan who had helped the UK effort.
Speaking on a trip to Wolverhampton, he said: "We need to get UK nationals out, but we also have an obligation to all of those Afghans who helped and assisted the UK, and we shouldn't have nice distinctions between this type of person, this type of help, and that type of help.

"If those in Afghan have helped us, the UK, in our work in Afghanistan, we have got an obligation to them."

However, No 10 defended the Government's position.

The PM's spokesman said: "I think it was clear that military intervention alone was not going to be sufficient. We have seen the Taliban move quickly across Afghanistan, that is true, but we have been monitoring the situation, and are continuing to do everything possible to secure UK and Afghan nationals."

He said: "Clearly, once the US decision was made (to withdraw troops), our view was that it would not be right to act unilaterally in this as an occupying force.

"We did speak to other international partners on this, but it was clear that that wasn't going to be feasible. So we have focused on doing everything possible to enable... to work with the previous Afghan government and to now facilitate the exit of UK nationals and Afghan nationals."

He said: "We want to obviously continue to do this as long as we are able to do so and as long as it is safe to do so. You'll appreciate the US have said that they will be leaving at the end of the month so we will keep that under review and we'll continue to do it as long as we can do so because we want to get as many people out as we can."

 

Yes, I think this should be the first priority, as many of these people along with families would be targeted and hunted by the Taliban first on account of their cooperation with US-NATO forces.

It would be highly unethical and immoral to abandon these people who had trusted the US-NATO forces and worked with them. And also those who were progressive forces in Afghan society, especially women activists like nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai and female journalists like Rada Akbar, Sahraa Karimi, Shamsia Hassani and so on.

Incompetent intelligence assesments by the US-NATO forces forecasted the Taliban out of reach of Kabul for a month or so though they captured it in a few days. This has prevented most people from leaving Taliban controlled Afghanistan for safer shores in a timely manner with proper travel arrangements.

 

Notwithstanding the humanitarian disaster that has occurred in Afghanistan, those miserable bastards in the scumbag 'nasty party' firstly put a figure of 20,000 on the number of Afghan refugees the uk were prepared to accept, and then secondly turned round and said that that was too high a figure and want to limit it to just 5,000.


Call for international response to prevent Afghanistan humanitarian disaster

Geraldine Scott
18 August 2021, 0:01 amBoris Johnson is set to tell MPs that there must be an immediate increase in aid to Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian crisis erupting in the country following the Taliban’s seizure of power.

MPs will return to Parliament from their summer break for an emergency sitting on Wednesday, three days after Afghanistan’s capital Kabul fell to the militants on Sunday.

The Prime Minister and the Government have come under increasing pressure over the handling of the downfall of the Western-backed government and the subsequent evacuation of British nationals and local allies.

On Tuesday night, Mr Johnson announced a new settlement scheme, which would allow up to 20,000 Afghan vulnerable refugees to seek sanctuary in the UK over the coming years.

And the PM is expected to tell MPs of the steps the international community needs to take to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, including the immediate increase in humanitarian aid to the country and the surrounding region as well as a longer-term project to support refugees.
But the settlement scheme was criticised as falling short of what was needed, and the PM can expect to come under fire from former Armed Services personnel on his own backbenches as he updates MPs on the work done to mitigate the crisis so far.

Protests are also planned outside of Parliament calling for support for Afghans and their families who have worked with the allies.

Speaking to US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night, Mr Johnson stressed the importance of work in the region and not to lose the gains of the last 20 years.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister and President Biden agreed on the need for the global community to come together to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.”

While Home Secretary Priti Patel, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said although the UK had committed to taking in 5,000 refugees who were at risk of persecution by the Taliban in the first year of the new settlement scheme – and up to 20,000 overall – the country could not take all the strain alone.

She said: “The UK is also doing all it can to encourage other countries to help. Not only do we want to lead by example, we cannot do this alone.”

The newspaper reported that the Prime Minister had spoken to the French and German governments, and Ms Patel led talks with the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States – to identify safe and legal routes for those who need to leave Afghanistan.

But opposition parties said this was not enough and criticised the scope of the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, which will give priority to women and girls, and religious and other minorities.

Human rights groups also hit out at Government plans over immigration more widely.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow home secretary, welcomed that a scheme was now in place but said there needed to be a “more urgent plan of action”.
He said: “This proposal does not meet the scale of the challenge. Not only does that risk leaving people in Afghanistan in deadly danger, it will also undermine the leadership role Britain must play in persuading international partners to live up to their responsibilities.”

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said the party would be calling on the Government to increase its uptake of refugees to 20,000 “over the next year”, telling BBC Breakfast: “We know it’s hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are at risk. Britain needs to play a part, with other countries, and we need to play a part urgently.”

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for foreign affairs, said: “We need these vulnerable people out of the country as soon as possible, instead of the Government’s vague promise of the ‘long-term’. The Government have kicked this into the long grass when Afghans need help now, today. 20,000 should be the starting point of this scheme, not the target.”

And Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, said the target should be to welcome at least 35,000 to 40,000 Afghan refugees.

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood, the Tory MP for Bournemouth East, was also vocal in his criticism of the scheme, calling it “woefully inadequate”.
He told the Daily Mirror: “The Government really needs to see the bigger picture here and grasp the scale of the crisis we created. We are capping the numbers to 5,000 for the first year, when the threat is at its greatest.”

The Government said the new scheme was in addition to the 5,000 Afghans already expected to move to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which is designed to offer local allies such as interpreters priority relocation to the UK.

Government figures showed 2,000 have already arrived under the ARAP programme.

Since Saturday, officials said 520 British nationals, diplomats and former Afghan staff have left Afghanistan on UK military flights.

A flight carrying evacuated British nationals and Afghans landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at about 11pm on Tuesday night.

It comes after the Ministry of Defence said the first flight of British nationals and embassy staff arrived at the base on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, claims from the Taliban that it would respect human rights and uphold the rights of women and girls “within the framework of Sharia” law have so far been treated with scepticism.

 

In the US, political refugees are more likely to be called illegal immigrants, while the UK and EU are among the few who consistently make the US look bad, so keep it up!

 

Notwithstanding the humanitarian disaster that has occurred in Afghanistan those miserable bastards in the scumbag 'nasty party' are attempting to place limits on the numbers of Afghan refugees the uk will accept.

Call for international response to prevent Afghanistan humanitarian disaster

Geraldine Scott
18 August 2021, 0:01 amBoris Johnson is set to tell MPs that there must be an immediate increase in aid to Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian crisis erupting in the country following the Taliban’s seizure of power.

MPs will return to Parliament from their summer break for an emergency sitting on Wednesday, three days after Afghanistan’s capital Kabul fell to the militants on Sunday.

The Prime Minister and the Government have come under increasing pressure over the handling of the downfall of the Western-backed government and the subsequent evacuation of British nationals and local allies.

On Tuesday night, Mr Johnson announced a new settlement scheme, which would allow up to 20,000 Afghan vulnerable refugees to seek sanctuary in the UK over the coming years.

And the PM is expected to tell MPs of the steps the international community needs to take to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, including the immediate increase in humanitarian aid to the country and the surrounding region as well as a longer-term project to support refugees.

But the settlement scheme was criticised as falling short of what was needed, and the PM can expect to come under fire from former Armed Services personnel on his own backbenches as he updates MPs on the work done to mitigate the crisis so far.

Protests are also planned outside of Parliament calling for support for Afghans and their families who have worked with the allies.

Speaking to US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night, Mr Johnson stressed the importance of work in the region and not to lose the gains of the last 20 years.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister and President Biden agreed on the need for the global community to come together to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.”

While Home Secretary Priti Patel, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said although the UK had committed to taking in 5,000 refugees who were at risk of persecution by the Taliban in the first year of the new settlement scheme – and up to 20,000 overall – the country could not take all the strain alone.

She said: “The UK is also doing all it can to encourage other countries to help. Not only do we want to lead by example, we cannot do this alone.”

The newspaper reported that the Prime Minister had spoken to the French and German governments, and Ms Patel led talks with the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States – to identify safe and legal routes for those who need to leave Afghanistan.

But opposition parties said this was not enough and criticised the scope of the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, which will give priority to women and girls, and religious and other minorities.

Human rights groups also hit out at Government plans over immigration more widely.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow home secretary, welcomed that a scheme was now in place but said there needed to be a “more urgent plan of action”.

He said: “This proposal does not meet the scale of the challenge. Not only does that risk leaving people in Afghanistan in deadly danger, it will also undermine the leadership role Britain must play in persuading international partners to live up to their responsibilities.”

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said the party would be calling on the Government to increase its uptake of refugees to 20,000 “over the next year”, telling BBC Breakfast: “We know it’s hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are at risk. Britain needs to play a part, with other countries, and we need to play a part urgently.”

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for foreign affairs, said: “We need these vulnerable people out of the country as soon as possible, instead of the Government’s vague promise of the ‘long-term’. The Government have kicked this into the long grass when Afghans need help now, today. 20,000 should be the starting point of this scheme, not the target.”

And Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, said the target should be to welcome at least 35,000 to 40,000 Afghan refugees.

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood, the Tory MP for Bournemouth East, was also vocal in his criticism of the scheme, calling it “woefully inadequate”.
He told the Daily Mirror: “The Government really needs to see the bigger picture here and grasp the scale of the crisis we created. We are capping the numbers to 5,000 for the first year, when the threat is at its greatest.”

The Government said the new scheme was in addition to the 5,000 Afghans already expected to move to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which is designed to offer local allies such as interpreters priority relocation to the UK.

Government figures showed 2,000 have already arrived under the ARAP programme.

Since Saturday, officials said 520 British nationals, diplomats and former Afghan staff have left Afghanistan on UK military flights.

A flight carrying evacuated British nationals and Afghans landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at about 11pm on Tuesday night.

It comes after the Ministry of Defence said the first flight of British nationals and embassy staff arrived at the base on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, claims from the Taliban that it would respect human rights and uphold the rights of women and girls “within the framework of Sharia” law have so far been treated with scepticism.

 

Of course but we musnt forget also ,anyone who comes into the UK would need to quarantine and follow our Covid policies without exception. Covid isnt going away .

From UK Gov site

You should not travel to red list countries or territories.

Red list Upcoming changes to the red list
Afghanistan

 

But since 'Covid' hasn't yet reached Afghanistan in any substantial numbers (Its too far up the Hindu Kuch and too isolated) the only reason this scumbag 'nasty party' put Afghanistan on the 'Red list' is because they don't want to have to deal with a flood of refugees, notwithstanding our international obligations to do so.

 

The US view has been known for some time .

The Afghanistan Mandate was to destroy Al Qaeda and kill Osama Bin Laden ,who was the brains and backing against the awful and cowardly 9/11 Tower attacks . This the US succeeded in doing although I believe this happened nearly 10 years ago . Al Qaeda was being sheltered at the time by the Taliban

After this the US along with some of the Allies like the Brits wanted to get a Afghanistan Government installed with some Western influence .

They also wanted Afghanistan to have a stand alone army ,capable of defending itself and training was done by the US and the allies with weapons and military hardware supplied by the US .

It doesnt surprise me as night follows day ,that once the army and Government was established that the US and the Allies would start withdrawing their forces as it costs to keep them out there ,with many lives already lost for a war that wasnt theirs .

All Joe Biden has done was to speed up the process of the US withdrawal and we must not forget the Brits had already gone and the allies before them .

The problem I as I see was the speed at which the Afghan Government and the newly trained Afghan Army capitulated without much of a fight ,allowing the Taliban to walk into the Capital Kabul unopposed ..

I saw many pictures of equipment abandoned in Kabul like the armoured vehicle below




And this is what the Taliban fight in ,which is basically an unarmoured civillian pickup .




So the Afghan army had the equipment and manpower but lacked the bottle .

That isnt Joe Bidens fault .

 

Zen matey, "scumbag 'nasty party' is the mild form. If I truly called them on here what I really think of them I'd be banned !!!

 

Good luck with that Zen