RAF’S HISTORIC MISSION OF MERCY
INTERPRETERS and other Afghans who risked their lives to escape following the march of the Taliban landed in Britain yesterday aboard a historic RAF rescue flight.
Following the fall of their homeland in August, many of those left stranded when Western evacuation flights ended made the decision to leave, embarking on journeys fraught with danger.
Displaying courage and cunning, they defied jihadists desperate to intercept them en route to neighbouring countries.
From one such location, which cannot be disclosed for security reasons, the first group was flown to a military airbase in the Middle East and then on to Britain where they landed yesterday to start their new lives.
They were joined on the final leg of their journey by the Daily Mail which has advocated tirelessly for many years on behalf of translators through our award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign.
In all, 31 Afghans, including wives and children, arrived at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, exhausted but relieved after their ordeal.
They had intended to leave Afghanistan in August but were unable to access any of the Operation Pitting mercy flights from Kabul airport which rescued more than 15,000 Afghans, UK citizens and foreign nationals.
This week’s rescue mission is
‘Couldn’t go through it again’
shrouded in secrecy due to political complications across the region. As we can report today for the first time, it took measures to protect their real identities and supporting paperwork, disguises and cover stories to convince Taliban gunmen to let them through checkpoints and border crossings.
Also for security reasons, none of the specific tactics they used can be disclosed – as in the coming weeks more refugees may attempt to make similar journeys.
Several more RAF flights rescuing refugees from the region are expected to reach Britain in the coming weeks.
Among those arriving in Britain for the first time yesterday was former interpreter Zubair, 40, a married father of three who travelled here with his family.
He described the chilling moments when Taliban gunmen questioned his account as he fled.
Zubair said: ‘It was terrifying, they were poking a gun at me and asking me where I was going and why. The last thing I could say was the truth – because the Taliban will use any excuse to kill people, killing is just like a video game to them, it’s nothing. We had to stick to the story and hope they believed it. I could never go through it again. We did not dress the same, or say what we really did. I had practised saying what I did in my pretend job but it was very scary, so much pressure.’
After a long journey from the Middle East, the RAF Voyager A330 taxied to a standstill in Oxfordshire, allowing the families, including small children clutching cuddly toys, to be finally able to relax.
From the tarmac they were driven to a repatriation centre where they were processed by Border Force officials before last night being taken to a hotel where they must quarantine for at least ten days.
Eventually they will move into permanent accommodation provided by local authorities across the country.
The cross-UK government initiative Operation Warm Welcome is intended to ensure they receive the support required to build new lives having left everything they own in their homeland. They have been granted indefinite leave to remain in Britain and funding for schooling and healthcare.
But many have travelled to Britain with heavy hearts, wary about what the future holds for them and concerned for those they have left behind in their homeland.
Husband and wife Ismail, 52, and Malika, 42, arrived in the UK mourning the loss of one of their sons recently murdered by the Taliban and anxious for the safety of a son who was beaten badly.
Tearful Malika, from Gah in Helmand Province, said: ‘We paid a very high price for helping the British and they the soldiers left and the Taliban came back.
‘Our safety was compromised by a neighbour who gave us up to save themselves. So we had to leave, firstly to Kabul to try to get on the airlift, then again last week to make it to another country.’ The party of 31 Afghans included at least four interpreters who qualified under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and six individuals under the recently introduced Leave Outside the Rules (LOTR) scheme, for persons who previously served in the Afghan military.
Last night Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stressed more flights from third countries will be arriving in the UK soon.
Mr Wallace said: ‘In August we successfully airlifted more than 15,000 people, including vulnerable Afghans and British nationals from Kabul to safety. But our commitment to the Afghan people did not end there. At the time I talked of our determination to do right by those who have looked after us for so many years.
‘This flight marks the beginning of what will be our long-standing effort to relocate those who need our help, as they make their way to safety and a new life in Britain.’