Over 3,000 Afghans eligible to come to UK left trapped – as MPs’ call for inquiry into Afghanistan campaign rejected
More than 3,000 people eligible to come to the UK are trapped in Afghanistan, the government has admitted.
In 2021, the UK organised a hurried evacuation to get vulnerable Afghans and British citizens out of the country after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.
But responding to a damning report from the Commons’ defence committee – calling the withdrawal “a dark chapter in UK military history” – officials have now confirmed 3,075 who qualify for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or ARAP scheme remain there.
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The response comes as another evacuation is taking place in Sudan amid a tense ceasefire that continues to hold between warring military factions.
The UK government has faced questions over removing diplomats and their families from the country before helping other British nationals, and were further criticised for taking longer than some other European nations to put a plan in place.
But the Foreign Office said 897 people had now been evacuated over eight flights as of 4pm on Thursday, and there were “further flights to come”.
‘Limited value’ to inquiry
The defence committee – made up of a cross-party group of MPs – released its report into the withdrawal from Afghanistan in February, and called for a government-led inquiry into the operation.
Chair of the committee, former defence minister and Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, said the probe should “take an unflinching look at where we went wrong”, adding: “It is only through this that we can learn the necessary lessons and prevent this from ever happening again.”
But in its response – published by the committee on Friday – the government said that the Ministry of Defence thought “the value of a further wide ranging review of the totality of the Afghanistan campaign is limited, would absorb considerable resource and does not coincide with the now-published Integrated Review” into defence.
‘A chapter that we won’t have learned from’
Mr Ellwood said on Friday that the decision was “frustrating”, adding: “At the release of our report, I described the withdrawal from Afghanistan as a ‘dark chapter’ in UK military history.
“Without a thorough, public inquiry, this is a chapter that we won’t have learned from.”
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Afghanistan exit a ‘humiliation’
The committee’s report also raised the issue of those people who had been left behind in the country, including Afghans who had worked for and supported British forces.
“They are at risk of harm as a direct result of assisting the UK mission,” Mr Ellwood said at the time.
“We can’t change the events that unfolded in August 2021, but we owe it to those Afghans, who placed their lives in danger to help us, to get them and their families to safety.”
Now, the government’s response has revealed the full number of people in that position.
‘We are committed to finding them’
“Due to operational security considerations, we are unable to provide specific details on our ongoing relocation efforts inside Afghanistan and with our third country partners,” the statement said.
“However, a finite number of Afghans are eligible for ARAP and we estimate from [His Majesty’s government] records that fewer than 620 Afghans eligible for relocation to the UK under ARAP remain inside Afghanistan.
“We are committed to finding and relocating them and their family members – approximately 3,075 people in total.”
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Mr Ellwood said these figures were even more of a reason to hold an inquiry.
“Mass evacuations, while rare, are an eventuality that we must be prepared for,” he said on Friday.
“British citizens and those entitled to refuge on our shores shouldn’t be left trapped in conflict zones with their lives at risk.
“Refusing to engage in a standalone review of the Afghanistan campaign prevents lessons from being consolidated and put into action for future risks.”
Donald Trump has threatened Russia with more sanctions after a series of deadly strikes across Ukraine, as he said of Vladimir Putin: “What the hell happened to him?”
The US president appeared aghast at the conduct of his counterpart in the Kremlin after drone and missile attacks in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.
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Speaking to reporters at an airport in New Jersey ahead of a flight back to Washington, Mr Trump said: “I’m not happy with Putin. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“He’s killing a lot of people,” he added. “I’m not happy about that.”
Mr Trump – who said he’s “always gotten along with” Mr Putin – told reporters he would consider more sanctions against Moscow.
“He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he said.
Ukraine said the barrage of strikes overnight into Sunday was the biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with 367 drones and missiles fired by Russian forces.
It came despite Mr Trump repeatedly talking up the chances of a peace agreement. He even spoke to Mr Putin on the phone for two hours last week.
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Hundreds of drones fired at Ukraine
‘Shameful’ attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to sign a ceasefire deal, and suggested Russia isn’t serious about signing one.
In a statement after the latest attacks on his country, he urged the US and other national leaders to increase the pressure on Mr Putin, saying silence “only encourages” him.
Mr Trump’s envoy for the country, Keith Kellogg, later demanded a ceasefire, describing the Russian attacks as “shameful”.
Three children were among those killed in the attacks, explosions shaking the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.
Ukrainian siblings Tamara, 12, Stanislav, eight, and Roman, 17, were killed in Russian airstrikes. Pic: X/@Mariana_Betsa
Before the onslaught, Russia said it had faced a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday. It said around 100 were intercepted and destroyed near Moscow and in central and southern regions.
The violence has escalated despite Russia and Ukraine completing the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each over the past three days.
Donald Trump says he will delay the imposition of 50% tariffs on goods entering the United States from the European Union until July, as the two sides attempt to negotiate a trade deal.
It comes after the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a post on social media site X that she had spoken to Mr Trump and expressed that they needed until 9 July to “reach a good deal”.
The US president had last Friday threatened to bring in the 50% tariffs from 1 June, as European leaders said they were ready to respond with their own measures.
But Mr Trump has now said that date has been put back to 9 July to allow more time for negotiations with the 27-member bloc, with the phone call appearing to smooth over tensions for now at least.
Speaking on Sunday before boarding Air Force One for Washington DC, Mr Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Ms Von der Leyen and she “wants to get down to serious negotiations” and she vowed to “rapidly get together and see if we can work something out”.
The US president, in comments on his Truth Social platform, had reignited fears last Friday of a trade war between the two powers when he said talks were “going nowhere” and the bloc was “very difficult to deal with”.
Mr Trump told the media in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday that Ms Von der Leyen “just called me… and she asked for an extension in the June 1st date. And she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation”.
“We had a very nice call and I agreed to move it. I believe July 9th would be the date. That was the date she requested. She said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out,” the US president added.
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Shortly after, he wrote on Truth Social: “I agreed to the extension – July 9, 2025 – It was my privilege to do so.”
On his so-called “liberation day” last month, Mr Trump unleashed tariffs on many of America’s trade partners. But since then he’s backed down in a spiralling tit-for-tat tariff face-off with China, and struck a deal with the UK.
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Much of his most incendiary rhetoric on trade has been directed at Brussels, though, even going as far as to claim the EU was created to rip the US off.
Responding to his 50% tariff threat, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said: “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.
“We stand ready to defend our interests.”
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