Thirteen Afghans who worked for the British military have been deported back to the country, according to reports. The I Paper said the individuals had been living in Pakistan. Pakistan’s government has recently accelerated efforts to deport Afghan refugees.
The paper reported:
In April this year the Pakistani government accelerated its drive to expel undocumented Afghans and those who had temporary permission to stay, hundreds of thousands have been forced out of the country according to the UN refugee agency.
Pakistan’s government claims it is “struggling to cope” with a total population of more than 3.5 million Afghans, many of whom had fled previous conflicts.
A UK government spokesman claimed that an effort was being made to dissuade Pakistan from carrying out such deportations. Meanwhile, a UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Spokesman said the ministry remained “fully committed” to “honouring our commitments”.
Afghan war to deportations
The UK and US pulled out of Afghanistan in defeat in 2021. Thousands of Afghans who had worked with occupation forces during the two decade war also fled.
The war won’t stay buried. There is currently an inquiry into UK war crimes in the country underway. And in 2025 it was revealed that three years earlier the Tory government had leaked important details about thousands of Afghans who’d been resettled to the UK
In July 2025, a UN report made it clear Afghanistan is not a safe haven for returnees.
The report also said:
International law prohibits refoulement – defined as return to a country where an individual would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment or other irreparable harm.
However, The I Paper report notes that Pakistan is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
Damning inquiry
A 2023 inquiry into the withdrawal heard from many senior political and military figures. Some argued that while the withdrawal was not on terms ideal for the UK, it had not been a “military defeat”. Others disagreed.
For example, Brigadier Ben Barry told the panel:
We should be quite clear that the Taliban won and that the US, UK and NATO were defeated.
He added that it was a:
wider defeat for the values of the West.
The UK contribution to the war in Afghanistan took the lives of 457 UK armed forces personnel and injured thousands more, and cost more than £27 billion.
Afghanistan remains under the full control of the Taliban. Though during his recent state visit to the UK, US president Donald Trump somewhat bizarrely stated an intention to recover the former US airbase at Bagram.
A group of UN experts explained the danger facing Afghans being deported:
We urge the Government of Pakistan to immediately halt the planned deportations and respect the principle of non-refoulement. Afghan refugees and others in exile need sustainable, humane, and rights- respecting support and protection.
Featured image via Unsplash/Annie Spratt
