LONDON: The Afghan pilot in the UK at the center of a deportation row is a “special case” for asylum, a former head of the British Army has told The Independent.
The veteran, who traveled to the UK through Europe from Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover in 2021, has been threatened with deportation to Rwanda — a policy that the government claims is targeting economic migrants.
Sir Richard Dannatt warned that policy is unduly overlapping, describing the planned deportation of the pilot as a “flaw.”
He said: “Clearly there is a flaw in evolving British policy. While the pressure is on to reduce small boat crossings, Afghans who have worked with the British, like this pilot, must be a special case.”
The Afghan pilot, who took part in missions against the Taliban alongside Western-led forces, should be made eligible for the UK’s Afghan relocations and assistance policy, or Arap, Dannatt added.
During an investigation by The Independent, it was revealed that the pilot, who was described by his US supervisor as a “patriot to his nation,” was facing deportation as a result of UK Home Office policy.
He was warned that his journey via Europe to the UK could have “consequences for whether your claim is admitted to the UK asylum system,” resulting in his possible deportation to Rwanda in line with new policy targeting small boat arrivals.
Dannatt added: “Those in touch with him must advise him to apply for the Arap scheme and not take no for an answer.
“The Home Office should be passed his details in order to lift him out of the general mass of small boat illegal entrants.”
The pilot said that he has been “forgotten” by Britain, adding: “What safe and legal way was there after the fall of Afghanistan?”
Despite mounting criticism over the pilot’s potential deportation, the UK Home Office has refused to comment on individual cases.
However, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to “make sure the Home Office has a look” at the case.
Former Conservative Cabinet minister David Davis told The Independent: “We have a moral responsibility to people who are our allies. There must be a mechanism for looking at his case.
“It demonstrates we don’t have a workable policy at the moment. Until you have safe and legal routes it’s hazardous to do what the government is doing.”
A campaign by The Independent newspaper to encourage the granting of asylum for the former pilot has been backed by figures across the political spectrum, as well as charities and military veterans.
Former army captain Mike Crofts, who served two tours in Afghanistan, said: “The government’s abandonment of Afghan soldiers who served the UK cause in Afghanistan is further indictment of a failed approach to immigration.”
He added: “This case only serves to highlight the motivation behind many using boat crossings. The so-called legal routes into the UK exist only in name.”