Thousands of Afghans secretly evacuated to the UK

• 150 Afghans directly working for intelligence services were evacuated.
• Around 4,000 of those relocated were housed in hotels in Pakistan, with London covering costs.
• Another 1,000 had to travel to Pakistan using Taliban passports.

The UK has secretly brought over 5,000 Afghans to Britain since last October, according to The Times. Operation Lazurite, the mission’s name, involved relocating former military personnel, intelligence assets, and their families out of Afghanistan and providing them with accommodation at military sites across the UK. Among those evacuated were 150 Afghans who directly worked for the intelligence services.

A Whitehall source told The Times that the previous Conservative government had kept the number of resettled individuals secret to maintain an image of being tough on lowering immigration figures.

Around 4,000 of those relocated to the UK were housed in hotels in Pakistan, with London covering the costs. Another 1,000 had to travel to Pakistan using passports issued by the Taliban shortly after the operation began.

Many of those who arrived in the UK fled their homeland due to Taliban threats. They joined the approximately 27,000 Afghans who had already been brought to the UK following the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and the withdrawal of US-led coalition troops earlier that year.

The Whitehall source said officials are conducting security checks quickly before offering accommodation to evacuees, with 700 homes already allocated.

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