A warm welcome awaits
BORIS Johnson last night launched Operation Warm Welcome for Afghan refugees arriving in the UK.
The PM said: “I am determined we put in place the support they need to rebuild their lives.
“For those who have left their homes with no more than a small bag of belongings coming to the UK will have been a daunting experience, but also one of hope.”
He has appointed Home Office safeguarding boss Victoria Atkins as minister for Afghan resettlement to ensure Afghans get the same treatment as the 20,000 Syrian refugees who arrived during its civil war.
Donations
A new department will coordinate housing, health and education needs and deal with escapees’ trauma.
It will also oversee donations of clothes and toys from individuals, charities and businesses and offer free English language courses.
Many of the arrivals will be put up in hotels and B&BS temporarily while local authorities use the £5million Whitehall has provided to find housing.
Meanwhile In an open letter to all members of the armed forces Mr Johnson wrote: “The events of recent weeks will have been hard for the Armed Forces community to watch unfold.
“Many thousands of you dedicated years of your lives to service in Afghanistan, often in the most arduous conditions.”
Mr Johnson said his thoughts were particularly with the families of the 457 British service personnel killed. He added: “Our purpose in Afghanistan was to protect the UK from harm and you succeeded in that central mission.
“In the last 20 years not a single terrorist attack has been launched from Afghan soil against the UK or any Western country.”
And he said British efforts to school 3.6 million Afghan girls will “not be undone easily”.