Thousands of Afghan citizens who served Britain in its army and other bodies were evacuated with their families from Afghanistan in what was reported as the biggest British military evacuation in over 70 years,Ednews reports citing Anadolu Agency.
Although the majority of more than 21,000 refugees have now been placed in accommodations, almost half of the evacuees are still stuck in hotels. According to the latest figures provided by the Home Office, 9,242 individuals are placed in 63 hotels across the UK, and "around half" are children.
The UK evacuated about 18,000 people, including more than 6,000 British nationals, in the two weeks following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August 2021. But after the evacuation ended, thousands continued to flee the country and applied for the Afghan Citizen's Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) or Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
Some made it to the UK on their own and applied to one of those schemes, while others submitted their applications through British diplomatic missions in neighboring nations. Speaking to Anadolu, Fahim Zazai, the founder of the Afghan Community and Welfare Centre in Walsall, said those who remain in hotels were not all evacuees but also included many who arrived in later months.
Zazai was 20 years old when he made it to the UK from Afghanistan in 1999. He has since dedicated himself to help refugees settle in the community with the charity he founded 15 years ago. Now that the Taliban is back in power, he spends long hours each day to help those who have been evacuated by the British army.
Many refugees reach out to Zazai, seeking help in finding housing. "A person has recently contacted me from Preston, saying it's been almost two years since him, his wife, and their six children are stuck in a hotel. I told him that all we could do is to look for private housing, which then needs to be approved by the Home Office. This person has developed mental health issues. It's devastating for them," he said.
Settling into the country to have an ordinary life is not easy, Zazai says, pointing out that those placed in hotels could be accommodated anywhere in the country, where they have no connection to family or friends. "They have no support in terms of language or a social circle. So basically, they are completely isolated in a random location," he said, adding that his charity has managed to help several families in Halifax, York, and Scotland, relocating them elsewhere.
