Britain approves resettlement for nearly 1,000 former Afghan special forces personnel

Britain has approved the resettlement of nearly 1,000 former Afghan special forces personnel after reviewing previously rejected immigration and protection cases, marking a significant shift in a long-running and contentious aspect of the UK’s Afghan resettlement effort.

The government has agreed to resettle 884 former members of elite Afghan special forces units, offering fresh hope to those who fought alongside British troops before the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The decision follows a government reassessment of applications from the so-called “Triples” units, including CF 333 and ATF 444—elite formations that were trained and mentored by UK special forces.

According to Forces News, the affected applicants were initially turned down under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), but their cases were reopened after the government identified inconsistencies and procedural shortcomings in earlier decision-making. Those who successfully complete visa and security checks will now be allowed to remain in Britain under the resettlement framework.

The British government said the review was launched amid growing concerns that some decisions involving former Afghan partner forces had not been properly documented or consistently assessed. Defence procurement minister Luke Pollard described the delays as “deeply concerning” and reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting those who had served alongside British forces.

The former commandos are understood to have been trained by British special forces and took part in joint operations against the Taliban and other militant groups during the war in Afghanistan. Many have since reported facing severe threats to their lives, particularly after the fall of Kabul in 2021, due to their visible links to British military operations.

Britain introduced ARAP in April 2021 to provide a pathway to safety for Afghans who had worked for or alongside the UK government and were deemed to be at serious risk as a result of that service. The scheme was later folded into the broader Afghan Resettlement Programme, though ARAP itself was closed to new principal applications in July 2025.

The case of the “Triples” units has become one of the most controversial chapters in Britain’s Afghan resettlement effort. Campaigners and former military officials have long argued that many of these elite fighters were unfairly excluded from the scheme despite their direct operational roles alongside British forces. Government documents published in February showed that roughly 30% of reviewed decisions in the first phase had been overturned, underscoring the scale of the initial failings.

Officials have also acknowledged that newly examined payment records and service verification evidence may prove that some of these former fighters worked sufficiently closely with British forces to qualify under ARAP rules. That finding helped trigger a second phase of the review, covering additional cases beyond the initial batch.

While the decision to approve hundreds of former Afghan commandos is likely to ease some of the criticism surrounding Britain’s handling of these cases, thousands of applications remain under scrutiny. For the many still waiting, the review is about far more than paperwork—it is, in many instances, a matter of survival.

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