The Taliban have stated that they are ’ready and willing’ to take back Afghan refugees ’illegal or legal’ under Nigel Farage’s plans for mass deportations.
The Islamist insurgents also claim it would be easier to negotiate with the Reform UK leader than with the current prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The number of Afghans arriving in the UK increased significantly after the Taliban takeover in the summer of 2021, with many using small boats to cross the English Channel following the withdrawal of British forces from Kabul.
An unnamed senior official, based in Kabul, told The Telegraph: ’We are ready and willing to receive and welcome whoever he [Nigel Farage] sends us. We are prepared to work with anyone who can help end the struggles of Afghan refugees, knowing that many do not have a good life abroad.
’We will not require money to accept our own people, but we welcome aid to support newcomers since there are challenges in accommodating and feeding those returning from Iran and Pakistan.
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’Afghanistan is home to all Afghans, and the Islamic Emirate is committed to making this country a place where everyone—those already here, those returning, or those being sent back from the West by Mr. Farage or anyone else—can live with dignity.’
Farage’s dramatic proposals would be implemented if Reform wins power at the next general election, although they would likely face substantial legal challenges.
These proposals include establishing detention facilities capable of holding 24,000 people—approximately a quarter of the total current prison capacity across the UK—within 18 months.
Individuals would not be allowed to leave the site before they are deported en masse.
The Taliban official added: ’We will have to see what Mr. Farage does if he becomes the prime minister of Britain, but since his views are different, it may be easier to work with him than with the current leaders.
’We will accept anyone he sends, whether they are legal or illegal refugees in Britain.’
A Reform government would abolish the Human Rights Act and withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, the Refugee Convention, the UN Convention Against Torture, and the anti-trafficking convention of the Council of Europe.
At an event in Oxford launching ’Operation Restoring Justice,’ Reform’s Zia Yusuf described this as a ’non-exhaustive list’ of international agreements the country would be ’disapplying’ for up to five years.
This would allow the UK to deport all individuals who have entered the UK illegally—typically those without a visa—without giving them the opportunity to claim asylum.
Farage told the Sunday Times over the weekend: ’They would be arrested and detained. They’d be placed in disused military bases.
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’We might need some prefab buildings set up, something of that nature.’
Speaking in front of a large Union flag at today’s event, he declined to suggest any potential locations for these facilities, arguing that the government would purchase those sites and ’build a solar farm.’
Deportation agreements would be established with countries including Afghanistan and Eritrea, where those who fled could face the risk of severe harm or death from oppressive regimes.
When asked about this possibility, Farage said: ’Does it bother me? Of course, it bothers me, but what really concerns me is what happens on the streets of our country.’
He later added: ’We cannot be responsible for all the wrongs happening across the world; it’s simply not possible.’
In Oxford, Yusuf stated that questions regarding how these policies would affect women and girls sent back to Afghanistan are ’bogus,’ shifting the focus to young men.
Speaking on the BBC’s Today program this morning, the former Reform chairman said his party would be willing to provide financial assistance to the Taliban government in Afghanistan as part of a deal.
Farage later confirmed that this policy wouldn’t apply to Afghan interpreters who assisted the British military.
Reform’s plans had previously faced criticism from charities supporting people seeking safety in the UK.
Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said: ’After the horrors of World War II, Britain and its allies agreed that refugees who come to our countries seeking safety should get a fair chance to apply for asylum.
’We should preserve, not abandon, that tradition.’
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper commented that the plan ’falls apart under the most basic scrutiny,’ adding: ’Of course, Nigel Farage wants to emulate his idol Vladimir Putin in dismantling the human rights convention.
’Winston Churchill would be turning in his grave.’
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