LONDON, 27 December 2021, (TON): More than half of the 311 Afghans known to have been left behind by British forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, but who were promised sanctuary in the UK, are still in trapped in the war-torn country, with some claiming that the true number could be in the thousands.

Many of the interpreters and other Afghans who worked with Britain during its mission in the country, as well as their families who were pledged safe haven under the UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, now say they live in fear of Taliban reprisals after the militant group captured Kabul in August.

Ministers have been accused of “trying to move on” from the crisis, despite a recent Human Rights Watch Report claiming that Taliban forces were hunting down and killing hundreds of ex-Afghan government and military figures.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted in September that Afghans had been left behind by Operation Pitting, the UK’s mission to evacuate people from the capital Kabul in August, adding that the government would “do absolutely everything” it could to “ensure that those people get the safe passage that they deserve.”

Earlier this month, James Cleverly MP, minister of state for the Middle East and North Africa, confirmed that 167 Afghans eligible for the ARAP scheme were still in Afghanistan, with others eligible for refuge in the UK still in designated third countries.