British authorities will pay out £15,000 to move Prime Minister David Cameron’s former Afghan interpreter to a new safe house in his homeland, after it was revealed he would not be granted asylum in Britain.
The 26-year-old, known as Shaffy, said he felt “abandoned” by the government after it turned down his bid for resettlement. Defense staffers are now considering whether to allocate £15,000 (US$23,500) so Shaffy can be safely moved back to Afghanistan.
He reportedly received threats from the Taliban, after photos of him standing next to David Cameron were circulated by militants.
Shaffy’s work for the PM has made him a target. He is therefore currently unable to return to live with his wife and three daughters.
Despite the relocation budget from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the interpreter says he has already moved three times within Afghanistan, to no avail.
“The area where I have lived with my family now has a Taliban governor. I cannot resume my life there, people point to me and call me a spy,” he said.
“I tried to move to the north and was recognized, I moved to Kabul and the same thing happened. I went to my uncle’s home last month and when we woke there was a letter on Taliban headed paper from a commander named Mullah Assif.”
Shaffy’s story has emerged as the former Chief of Defence Staff and commander of forces in Afghanistan General Sir David Richards said it was Britain’s duty to re-home the translators who has served alongside British forces.
The former head of the Armed Forces said there should not be a debate about giving refuge to interpreters “abandoned” by the government.
“All of us who served in Afghanistan and depended on these people feel the same way,” he said.
The MoD revealed on Wednesday that 200 former interpreters had filed cases of intimidation in Kabul, but none had been given asylum in the UK.
One former interpreter, currently attempting to reach the UK from the Calais camps, told RT he was being helped to reach the country by a former army officer, who he served with in Afghanistan.
Khushal, also known as ‘Happy’ to his former British colleagues, was working as an interpreter for the British Army in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan. After he finished his work he began to receive threats from the Taliban.
The British government have not yet answered his plea for asylum, but he could not wait in Kabul, he said.
“I have faced big risks in my life, I have to face this one as well. I have to do this, it’s my last option,” he said.
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