Ex-elite soldiers face Taliban revenge as criticism grows over UK resettlement scheme Ex-British soldier: ‘They were looking after you on the ground and you can’t help them’ LONDON: The majority of the British voting public support giving sanctuary to former Afghan special forces veterans who served alongside the UK military, The Independent reported on Saturday. The poll of 3,000 British voters, carried out by YouGov, found that just 19 percent of respondents said they should be barred from settling in Britain. Those veterans who stayed in Afghanistan since the 2021 Taliban takeover have faced assault and torture, and some have been killed. Several of the veterans — who belonged to the elite UK-funded Commando Force 333 and Afghan Territorial Force 444 units — have made it to Britain via evacuation flights or by boat. Maj. Gen. Charlie Herbert, a former senior NATO adviser in Afghanistan, said: “I can think of no other Afghan security forces who were more closely aligned to the UK than 333 and 444, nor who more loyally or bravely supported our military objectives.” The UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, which aims to resettle former Afghan veterans who served alongside the British military against the Taliban, has received character references from many former British colleagues of the soldiers. However, one former British soldier, Alex, told The Independent that ARAP failed to respond to his reference. “I provided details about the individual that I served with on the ground in Afghanistan to the Arap team and never got a response,” he said. “I am aware of a number of other people who served alongside (the Afghan veterans) and never received any contact from the Ministry of Defense or ARAP. The cases were all rejected in the first place and were then rejected on appeal. “We talk a lot about veterans and their mental health. To think that you’ve left these people behind, you hear what they’re going through. They were looking after you on the ground and you can’t help them.”