US pledge to Afghan veterans of fight against Taliban puts pressure on UK over plight of ‘hero’ pilot
The US will continue to make sure Afghan veterans who fought alongside Western forces in the battle against the Taliban are taken care of, the White House said on Wednesday.
The American pledge adds to the pressure on authorities in the UK, who have been criticized for rejecting an Afghan pilot’s application to Britain’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme.
The unnamed former lieutenant in the Afghan Air Force arrived in the UK with other migrants on a small boat that crossed the English Channel. He said he did so because there were no other safe routes open to him.
He now faces deportation to Rwanda under the UK government’s controversial new asylum policy, which was last month ruled unlawful by the British Court of Appeal.
As reported previously by Arab News, the pilot was described as a “patriot to his nation” by his American supervisor.
“I am really disappointed. We weren’t carrying out simple tasks in Afghanistan, we were doing your missions. Without our Afghan forces, the UK and US wouldn’t have been able to do their activities,” the pilot previously told The Independent newspaper.
“If the UK are abandoning us again, I hope the US may help. Many former Afghan pilots are even flying in the US; they are using their skills, unlike what the UK are doing with me. Maybe if I get to the US, I can work as a pilot again and have a future, which helps my family, who are still in danger in Afghanistan.”
“Our commitment continues to stand,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “To make sure that we take care of the folks who helped us during the longest war in this country.”
In May, the US said it would investigate whether the pilot rejected by UK authorities might be eligible for asylum in the US.
After The Independent launched a campaign to raise awareness of the pilot’s case, military chiefs, politicians and celebrities have been among those calling for him to be allowed to settle in the UK.
A British government spokesperson said the UK remains committed to protecting those who flee Afghanistan, and have brought almost 25,000 people to Britain.
“We continue to work with like-minded partners and countries neighboring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans,” the spokesperson added.