Overview
- A UK special forces officer rejected 1,585 Afghan commandos’ asylum applications in 2023, allegedly as part of a blanket practice of automatic refusals.
- Court documents revealed that these rejections occurred just months before a High Court inquiry into alleged SAS war crimes began.
- The Ministry of Defence has admitted to poor record-keeping and overreliance on UKSF personnel for asylum decisions, describing the officer's decision-making as 'lax and unprofessional.'
- Around 600 Afghan commandos, known as the Triples, have now been approved for relocation, with a second phase reviewing up to 2,500 additional cases after rediscovered payroll data.
- Campaigners and former military officials are urging the government to expedite the relocation process, as many Triples remain at risk of Taliban reprisals.