Afghan soldiers blocked from joining stretched British Army for five years

A former major general once in charge of thousands of elite Afghan troops as they served alongside British special forces during the war is living in the London suburb of Harrow struggling to find full-time work.
His former soldiers, the most highly-skilled and daring soldiers in Afghanistan, are either unemployed or working as cleaners, taxi drivers or for Deliveroo, the takeaway delivery company.
They want to join the British Army — which is facing a huge recruitment crisis and is losing soldiers at a rate it cannot sustain — but have been blocked from doing so because of stringent rules that mean they have to wait five years after arriving in the UK before they are deemed eligible.
The Ministry of Defence is facing pressure to change its policy so those who have previously worked for UK forces — as special forces soldiers, interpreters or in other roles — can apply to sign up if they move to Britain.
They could then either integrate into positions within the army or form their own unit similar to the Gurkhas. Labour ministers are believed to be sympathetic to a policy change.
“I spent all my life in the military and to switch off and join the civilian world is difficult for me. I love to wear my uniform, I love to serve others. I would 100 per cent join the British Army because I love it,” said Mirahmed Azimi, who led nearly 9,000 Afghan special forces units in their fight against the Taliban.
He worked alongside UK forces for nearly two decades before he was forced to flee the country with his family when the Taliban took over in August 2021.
He said he knew as many as 30 or 40 Afghans who would also sign up if the rules changed, which would enable them to fill gaps in the army, help the MoD to become more diverse and ease the burden on councils and taxpayers because they would no longer be living in the UK unemployed and without housing.
“They would be happy to go. There will be too many people. The only job they are keen for and already have the skills for is the military. Most of them are just going cleaning or driving but they don’t like it. These are really talented, fit and trustworthy people,” he added.
Mohammed Dawood Watandost was a captain in the Afghan Territorial Force 444, a unit known as the Triples which was funded and trained by UK special forces. He worked with the UK from 2006 until 2021, when he was forced to leave Afghanistan.
He has been unemployed for three years, ever since he arrived in the UK, despite searching for work. “I grew up in the military and it is hard for me to work in any other field. Of course I would join the British Army if it was possible, I am jobless in the UK,” he said.
One former interpreter for the British Army, Jamal Barak, said he walked into an army recruitment centre after he arrived in the UK in 2016 and he was told they would not accept him.
Hundreds of former members of the Afghan special forces who are in hiding are awaiting a decision on whether they can come to the UK.
It is thought many of them would want to join the British military if given the option. One former commander of 444, who worked for seven years with British troops and who is still stuck in Afghanistan, said he would join the army. “I am ready to serve for the UK every time,” he told The Times.
Tom Tugendhat, the shadow security minister and Conservative leadership contender, said the Afghans should be “welcomed” by the armed forces. He said: “For two decades, thousands of Afghans have proved their loyalty and shown their mettle time and time again, standing shoulder to shoulder with the British Army. Those who have relocated to the UK legally should be welcomed by our armed forces if they want to serve, and if they meet the MoD’s criteria. Having fought alongside them, I know they have proved themselves before and would prove themselves again.”
Afghans who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme are given indefinite leave to remain upon arriving. However, they have to wait five years before they can apply to become a British citizen. The British Army will only accept recruits who are British citizens, with the exception of Commonwealth citizens.
If Afghans want to join the police they do not have to be British citizens but they have to have indefinite leave to remain and have lived in the UK for three years.
One insider said that a military chief was asked to review the policy several years ago but it was put in the “too difficult” box. Both Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, and Priti Patel, the former home secretary, had also promised to look at the rules but nothing changed.
Ben Obese-Jecty, a new Conservative MP and former army officer who has served in Afghanistan, said: “These Afghan soldiers were trained by UK special forces and have fought alongside them. They are here in the UK now because of their loyalty and their dedication to fighting the Taliban.
“Having mentored the Afghan National Army in Sangin during Operation Herrick 11, I believe we should investigate the feasibility of how these former Afghan special forces soldiers could play an active role within the British Army.”
Professor Sara De Jong, chairwoman of the Sulha Alliance charity that helps Afghan interpreters, said: “Afghan interpreters have already proven their loyalty to the British Army in Afghanistan and the MoD and Home Office should therefore lift the barriers which prevent them from continuing their service in the UK. This could be one important step to improve the government’s Operation New Hope [scheme facilitating resettlement in the UK], which currently isn’t delivering the hope and integration support that it should give our Afghan interpreters.”
A government official said: “This government has a new drive to ensure that all Afghans who have relocated to the UK are supported to build their new lives, and to address shortcomings of the Arap scheme at pace.
“Afghans who obtain British citizenship can apply for roles in the military, provided they meet other necessary criteria including age requirements, education specifications and medical standards.”