Evacuated Afghan will ‘surrender to the Taliban’ if the UK cannot save his family
An Afghan who worked as a guard with the British Embassy in Kabul has said he will have to return to Afghanistan unless the UK is able to help save his family members, claiming the Taliban have tortured his father.
Faiz Mohammad Seddeqi, 30, was evacuated to the UK in August with his wife and son, but said he will have to return and surrender to the Taliban if the Government are unable to helphisotherfamilymembers.
"The Taliban asked my father 'where is your son? He needs to come back and answer our questions'," Mr Seddeqi, speaking through an interpreter, told the PA news agency.
"After spending a night in a police station he finally got released, but after his release hewenttohidesomewhereand left his home. Unfortunately it was a couple of weeks ago that (he) was captured by the Taliban again and was tortured."
Mr Seddeqi said that during his work with the British Embassy he was targeted severaltimesbythetaliban,receiving threatening messages and seeing his car set on fire. Along withhisfather'storture,thetalibanalsofiredgunsthroughthe windows of the family home according to Mr Seddeqi, while his sister is also missing.
"Firstly, I'm thankful to the Government that they got me here,andatleastmylifeandmy immediate family's lives were savedfromthetaliban,"hesaid.
"We helped British Embassy and British soldiers and diplomats in Afghanistan, we worked for them, we tried to serve them while they were in Afghanistan. What I want from Home Office or from Foreignofficeishelp(bringing)my family to the UK."
Mr Seddeqi worked with the British Embassy for more than a year.
He described the moments after Kabul fell to the Taliban, including how he came to be separated from his other family members.
"After the Taliban got Kabul and the government fell down, I went from the British Embassy to home and took my family to hide somewhere around the city – other family members
went somewhere else to hide," he said.
"We promised each other to meet at Kabul airport after three days, so after three days I andmyimmediatefamilywent to Kabul airport and my other family members came to the airport as well.
"But due to the huge rush and firing of tear gas I lost my other
family members. I only could get my (child) and wife to the airport for the evacuation."
Mr Seddeqi is now staying with his wife and son in a hotel in Watford with, he estimates, around 200 other evacuated Afghans.
He said that he will have no choice but to return to Afghanistan if the UK cannot help his
family members who remain in the country.
"If my father and mother gets tortured by Taliban and the UK Governmentdidn'tdoanything forthem,thenfinallyihavetogo back to Afghanistan because it wasmewhoworkedforforeigners," he said.
"I will have to go back to Afghanistan and surrender to the Taliban to at least save my father and mother."
A Government spokesperson said: "We undertook the UK'S biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history,helpingover15,000people tosafetyfromafghanistanwho we are continuing to support.”