5,000 Afghans moved into MoD bases in secretive evacuation mission

Afghan allies who worked with British troops during the war are evacuated under Operation Lazurite

More than 5,000 Afghans have been quietly moved into military bases around the UK since October as part of an ongoing mission to bring Britain’s allies to safety.

The Afghans have been relocated as part of a Ministry of Defence mission, Operation Lazurite, which was first revealed by The Independent last November.

The refugees have the right to live and work in the UK under the MoD’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap). The policy is designed to help those Afghans who worked for or closely with British troops during the war - many of whom face persecution and death under the Taliban regime.

It has now emerged that more than 5,000 Afghans have been relocated under the operation since October and they are being housed in seven military bases around the country. The MoD is flying Afghan allies to the UK from Pakistan.

Military bases being used include sites in Leicestershire, Wiltshire, South Wales, Inverness and Dorset. The Afghan families are sent to some of these bases on a transitional basis before they are moved to temporary homes on other barracks or more permanent homes ringfenced for those in the forces.

Former armed forces minister James Heappey at one of the MoD bases being used to house Afghan allies (UK MOD Crown Copyright)

Around 700 homes have been made available to the families and the MoD is also working with local councils to find housing for the Afghans in local communities.

Operation Lazurite was set up last October after Afghan allies based in Pakistan and Iran took the government to court about delays to their relocation.

A Whitehall source told The National, an English-language newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, that the Conservative government had not made the 5,000 figure public because of the politics around immigration.

They told the paper, who first reported the number: “The main problem was over the whole issue of migration, so it was difficult, particularly with the previous administration’s sensitivities on the issue. But what we have got to make clear is that these Afghans aren’t illegal immigrants or asylum seekers, they are what we call ‘eligible persons’ here with indefinite leave to remain.”

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment.