Revealed: 1,500 Afghans scrambled to UK in secretive mission as minister speaks of Britain’s ‘enormous debt’

Exclusive: James Heappey lifts the lid on a military operation to airlift Afghans who fought with Britain out of Pakistan

Defence minister James Heappey has said it is “great at last” to welcome Afghans who worked with the British army “to their new permanent homes”, as he lifted the lid on the secretive operation to airlift thousands of refugees out of Pakistan and bring them to safety in Britain.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent at an army base in Leicestershire, Mr Heappey said the UK government “owe these people an enormous debt”, as it was revealed that 1,500 had been scrambled to the UK since the Ministry of Defence operation began in October.

Around 1,100 of these have been brought to MoD Garats Hay – a remote army base in the countryside just outside of Loughborough – since October when Rishi Sunak’s government performed a U-turn and decided that all Afghans eligible for the UK’s flagship resettlement schemes should be brought to Britain from Pakistan immediately.

It came afterThe Independent revealed the plight of nearly 3,000 Afghans who have been approved for refuge in Britain but were stranded in UK-funded hotels in Islamabad after the UK stopped chartering flights, insisting families must find their own place to live in Britain before relocation.

But the operation is far from over. The government still needs to bring around 1,300 Afghans who are eligible under the MoD’s resettlement scheme from Islamabad to the UK, which it is aiming to do by the end of December.

Currently, some 4,000 Afghans who worked with the British forces in the fight against the Taliban, and who have been approved for relocation, are still stranded in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Speaking about the extensive operation, Mr Heappey said: “We are working at the best speed we can to get people here. We are really grateful to councils and communities across the country who are assisting us in that and to the Pakistan government for their continued support.

“We owe these people an enormous debt. They are not here illegally, quite the reverse. They are here because they did great work for and with the British armed forces during their time in Afghanistan.

“It’s great at last to be able to welcome them to their new permanent homes in the UK”.

James Heappey has said we owe an ‘enormous debt’ to Afghans who fought with Britain (UK MOD Crown Copyright)

The Afghan families are sent to the transitional site before they are moved to temporary homes on other barracks or more permanent homes ringfenced for those in the forces. Around 700 homes have been made available to the families – private rented homes are being organised for others – and the MoD is also working with local councils to find housing for the Afghans in local communities.

The MoD-owned homes will be used as settled accommodation and are being made available to the families for three years. MoD Garats Hay, along with another transitional site at Swynnerton Camp, is designed to house refugees for a few days before they are moved on.

However, some families have arrived with more complex needs – such as one mother who arrived while 38 weeks pregnant – and the longest a family has been at the site so far is three weeks and two days.

Barracks around the country are also being used to house families for up to six weeks while long-term homes are found.

The families were trapped in Islamabad after Rishi Sunak halted the use of UK hotels for Afghans in late November 2022 leaving them effectively stranded.

The UK began chartering flights for the families in October this year after the Pakistan government announced they would start deporting all undocumented refugees from the country. The UK government was also facing legal action in courts over the delays.

Mr Heappey said work had been done to bring down the backlog of applications to the MoD’s resettlement scheme, Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap). “We know who worked for us, therefore we know who is eligible. There are very, very few eligibility decisions left really to be taken.

“We know who we’ve got to bring out, both from Afghanistan and Pakistan”, he said.

The defence minister visits MoD Garats Hay, a remote army base in the countryside just outside of Loughborough (UK MOD Crown Copyright)

He added that the UK was working with the Pakistan government to get the Afghans out. “We’ve got to show the Pakistan government that we are moving at max speed to close down the whole scheme because we’ve got it done, rather than closing it while there are people who are still eligible who haven’t come here yet.”

The operation to evacuate the Afghans, dubbed Operation Lazurite after the mineral found in the precious gem Lapus Lazuli, was set in motion on 23 September.

On 26 September, then-foreign secretary James Cleverly met with Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in London. According to the Pakistan government, Mr Cleverly praised “Pakistan’s support in hosting and facilitating exit of Afghan nationals”.

Two days later, on 28 September, B company of the 3rd battalion of the Parachute Regiment were deployed to the former signals base, MoD Garats Hay, and given 72 hours to get it ready to receive the Afghan refugees.

The Independent reported on 9 October that the first few families had been flown to the UK, and by 20 October government lawyers told the High Court that Afghans trapped in Pakistan and Iran would be scrambled to the UK as soon as possible.

In a U-turn of government policy, ministers decided that all Afghans eligible for the UK’s resettlement schemes would no longer have to find their own housing before travelling.

Speaking about the MoD homes that have been made available, Mr Heappey said: “The properties offered are taken from stock that is not currently being used by service families, to avoid impact on our people. Where there is not suitable service family accommodation to fit the needs of Arap families, alternative accommodation will be procured.”

A few hundred Afghans who are eligible for relocation to the UK under Home Office and Foreign Office schemes are also stuck in Pakistan. Though some of these have been brought to Britain, the MoD is not responsible for their relocation. The Home Office did not comment on how the rest would be brought to the UK.

This article was amended on the day of publication. It previously said that 500 of the 700 homes would be used as settled accommodation for up to three years, but this was inaccurate. All 700 homes will be available as settled accommodation.