Afghans who fought alongside British forces do not deserve to be left to an uncertain fate

Editorial: The Independent has reported numerous cases of those to whom the UK owes a debt of honour, the latest being a female special forces soldier. Why are we still failing to give them the future they are entitled to?

This publication makes no apology for returning to the plight of these brave individuals (PA)

As newer wars increasingly take over the headlines, it is all too easy to neglect the continuing consequences of earlier conflicts in which the UK played a more direct part. Those consequences include the cost in lives lost or blighted in Afghanistan, and the debt that this country owes to those Afghans who fought alongside our troops in a 20-year war.

The Independent makes no apology for returning to the plight of these brave individuals, and in particular to one of the many who, as a result of complex circumstances or bureaucratic oversight, we left behind. The female Afghan special forces soldier we report on today is a mother of four, whose application to be resettled in the UK was rejected and who now finds herself stranded in Turkey and facing a real risk of being expelled back to Afghanistan, where the Taliban hold sway.

The soldier’s situation should prick Britain’s collective conscience on a number of levels. Not least that she served in a unit that was set up and funded by the UK government. It should be clear that the responsibility for her future rests with us.