UK ‘must give more help to Afghan interpreters’

Britain risks being unable to recruit local help in future conflicts if it does not do more to help Afghan interpreters, MPS have heard.

The UK has a “moral obligation” to look after local staff – numbering around 3,000 – who helped troops and diplomats during the Afghan campaign, but current schemes to protect them from Taliban reprisals are not enough and some have been refused sanctuary, MPS were told.

Tom Tugendhat, a Tory MP and former officer who served in Afghanistan, told the defence committee: “As well as the moral case, there’s also the practical military case because of the message it sends.”