“When we withdraw our armed forces, it is only fair to expedite the reassignment of victims of retaliation,” Wallace said in a statement.
The Minister promised to “do everything possible” to “keep translators and other local officials safe” who have risked their lives to work with British forces in Afghanistan, and praised the enormous “debt” that the Kingdom has. they.
London, which has already relocated 1,358 jobs in the 20 years since the conflict, vowed to give priority in early April to any local worker who is threatened or still thinks he is working or not.
But thousands of professionals and their families involved are still waiting for the latest NATO forces to withdraw from Afghanistan, including 750 British soldiers.
“We have a moral obligation to recognize the risks they have taken in the fight against terrorism and to reward their efforts,” said British Home Secretary Priti Patel, who “promised to fulfill this duty by providing an opportunity to create a new life.”
The British government estimates that 3,000 translators could travel to the UK with their families.
Retired Colonel Simon Dickins, a member of the Aliana Sulha of Afghan translators, celebrated the move, although he criticized the lack of clarity in the AFP report on the status of translators fired by the British military, saying 1,010 should be expelled between 2001 and 2014.
Sixteen organizations, including Aliana Sulha of NATO, wrote in a letter to allies calling for “immediate protection of threatened Afghan officials and their families” and expressing their concern over the firm use of the measures.
According to the letter, translators “fear that they will be abandoned, not only because of the conflict of standards, but also because of the poor security situation, making it impossible to attend the interviews and obtain the documents in a timely manner.”