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| I don't believe Taliban pledge on women's rights, Priti Patel says | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Home Secretary Priti Patel says Afghan resettlement scheme is not deliverable "on our own" | Home Secretary Priti Patel says Afghan resettlement scheme is not deliverable "on our own" |
| Women and girls and persecuted minorities will make up the bulk of the Afghan refugees resettled in the UK, the home secretary has said. | |
| While the Taliban has said women's rights will be respected, Priti Patel said it was hard to believe "the PR operation that we're currently seeing." | |
| The UK government will work with other nations and pledged to resettle 5,000 Afghans in the UK in the first year. | |
| However, some MPs have criticised the scheme for not going far enough. | |
| Thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee the country after the militants seized control of the capital Kabul. | Thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee the country after the militants seized control of the capital Kabul. |
| The government has committed to resettling up to 20,000 Afghan refugees in the UK in the long term - and Ms Patel said she wanted the majority of those to be women and girls and persecuted minorities. | |
| The Taliban promised the rights of women in Afghanistan will be respected "within the framework of Islamic law". | |
| But the home secretary said the group had a history of oppressing women and "that's not going to change overnight". | |
| "I genuinely do not think that we should be at all believing the spokespeople or the PR operation that we're currently seeing," she told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. | |
| VOICES: Uncertain times ahead for Afghan women | VOICES: Uncertain times ahead for Afghan women |
| EXPLAINER: Ten days that shook Afghanistan | EXPLAINER: Ten days that shook Afghanistan |
| AT THE SCENE: Kabul hotel - Taliban guards, no women | AT THE SCENE: Kabul hotel - Taliban guards, no women |
| The new plan is on top of the existing scheme for interpreters and other staff who have worked for the UK. | |
| Some 5,000 Afghans and family members are expected to come to the UK under that policy. | |
| Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Ms Patel refused to give a timescale for how long it would take for the 20,000 Afghans to be brought to the UK. | Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Ms Patel refused to give a timescale for how long it would take for the 20,000 Afghans to be brought to the UK. |
| However, she compared the new scheme to one introduced for Syrian refugees, which saw a similar number of people resettled over a period of seven years. | However, she compared the new scheme to one introduced for Syrian refugees, which saw a similar number of people resettled over a period of seven years. |
| "We could end up bringing many more [than 20,000] but first of all we have to have the underpinning and the infrastructure and the support to do that," she said. | "We could end up bringing many more [than 20,000] but first of all we have to have the underpinning and the infrastructure and the support to do that," she said. |
| She said a target of 5,000 in the first year was "deliverable", adding: "It would be terrible quite frankly to bring people and not be able to give them the support that they would need in terms of accommodation, resettlement and giving them the opportunity to build a new life in the UK." | She said a target of 5,000 in the first year was "deliverable", adding: "It would be terrible quite frankly to bring people and not be able to give them the support that they would need in terms of accommodation, resettlement and giving them the opportunity to build a new life in the UK." |
| Asked how the UK would get vulnerable people, who may not feel safe leaving their homes, out of Afghanistan, Ms Patel said ministers would work with third party agencies, humanitarian organisations and other governments, including the US and Canada. | Asked how the UK would get vulnerable people, who may not feel safe leaving their homes, out of Afghanistan, Ms Patel said ministers would work with third party agencies, humanitarian organisations and other governments, including the US and Canada. |
| She added that people could also be resettled from neighbouring countries, as well as Afghanistan itself. | She added that people could also be resettled from neighbouring countries, as well as Afghanistan itself. |
| Meanwhile, Parliament has been recalled and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is currently updating MPs about the situation in Afghanistan. | |
| He said the government would be doing everything it can to support those who have helped the UK mission in Afghanistan and to "avert a humanitarian crisis". | |
| Ministers have been rushing to put this scheme together in response to the situation in Afghanistan, with the final details signed off on Tuesday. | Ministers have been rushing to put this scheme together in response to the situation in Afghanistan, with the final details signed off on Tuesday. |
| The scheme will prioritise those most in need - with the government highlighting women and girls and minority groups. | The scheme will prioritise those most in need - with the government highlighting women and girls and minority groups. |
| Information on how to apply is expected soon. | Information on how to apply is expected soon. |
| The scheme is loosely based on the one introduced during the Syrian war, which also saw 20,000 move to the UK from 2014 to 2021. | The scheme is loosely based on the one introduced during the Syrian war, which also saw 20,000 move to the UK from 2014 to 2021. |
| But ministers acknowledge the practicalities of getting people out of Afghanistan will be considerably more complicated because of the extent of Taliban control. | But ministers acknowledge the practicalities of getting people out of Afghanistan will be considerably more complicated because of the extent of Taliban control. |
| Government insiders don't know the extent to which the new regime will allow people to flee if they so choose. | Government insiders don't know the extent to which the new regime will allow people to flee if they so choose. |
| There will be funding for the resettlement programme - and the government will work with local councils and devolved governments on where to house Afghans who come to the UK. | There will be funding for the resettlement programme - and the government will work with local councils and devolved governments on where to house Afghans who come to the UK. |
| Among those to criticise the scheme was Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, who told the Daily Mirror it was a "woefully inadequate response", citing the government capping numbers at 5,000 for the first year when "the threat is at its greatest". | Among those to criticise the scheme was Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, who told the Daily Mirror it was a "woefully inadequate response", citing the government capping numbers at 5,000 for the first year when "the threat is at its greatest". |
| Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds welcomed the government putting a scheme in place but said there needed to be a "more urgent plan of action". | Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds welcomed the government putting a scheme in place but said there needed to be a "more urgent plan of action". |
| "This proposal does not meet the scale of the challenge," he added. | "This proposal does not meet the scale of the challenge," he added. |
| The Lib Dems foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran said that "20,000 should be the starting point of this scheme, not the target". | The Lib Dems foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran said that "20,000 should be the starting point of this scheme, not the target". |
| And Ian Blackford, the SNP's leader in Westminster, tweeted that the scheme didn't "go anywhere near far or fast enough" and the target should be at least 35,000 to 40,000 Afghan refugees. | And Ian Blackford, the SNP's leader in Westminster, tweeted that the scheme didn't "go anywhere near far or fast enough" and the target should be at least 35,000 to 40,000 Afghan refugees. |
| Refugee charities welcomed the announcement as a positive first step but said the timeframe was too slow and eligibility for asylum should be expanded. | Refugee charities welcomed the announcement as a positive first step but said the timeframe was too slow and eligibility for asylum should be expanded. |
| Afghan interpreter: "I'm so worried about my parents and my sisters' safety" | Afghan interpreter: "I'm so worried about my parents and my sisters' safety" |
| A separate route for Afghan nationals to resettle in the UK, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), already offers the chance to live in the UK to Afghan staff who worked for the UK government in frontline roles. | A separate route for Afghan nationals to resettle in the UK, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), already offers the chance to live in the UK to Afghan staff who worked for the UK government in frontline roles. |
| Some 5,000 staff - including interpreters - and their families will come to the UK via that scheme this year. Nearly 2,000 have arrived since 22 June. | Some 5,000 staff - including interpreters - and their families will come to the UK via that scheme this year. Nearly 2,000 have arrived since 22 June. |
| The UK has already sent about 900 troops to Afghanistan to help evacuate British nationals and Afghans who are eligible to resettle in the UK. | The UK has already sent about 900 troops to Afghanistan to help evacuate British nationals and Afghans who are eligible to resettle in the UK. |
| On Tuesday night an RAF plane carrying British nationals and Afghans landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire from Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. | On Tuesday night an RAF plane carrying British nationals and Afghans landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire from Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. |
| Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter said seven more planes were being sent to Kabul and the UK hoped to fly out 1,000 more people on Wednesday. | Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter said seven more planes were being sent to Kabul and the UK hoped to fly out 1,000 more people on Wednesday. |
| He told the BBC that British forces were collaborating with the Taliban, who were providing security around Kabul's airport. | He told the BBC that British forces were collaborating with the Taliban, who were providing security around Kabul's airport. |
| Sir Nick said the Taliban seemed prepared to allow people to leave the country at the moment but "we need to be clear that this is only possible if they behave in a reasonable fashion". | Sir Nick said the Taliban seemed prepared to allow people to leave the country at the moment but "we need to be clear that this is only possible if they behave in a reasonable fashion". |
| "We have to be patient, we have to hold our nerve and we have to give them the space to form a government and we have to give them the space to show their credentials," he added. | "We have to be patient, we have to hold our nerve and we have to give them the space to form a government and we have to give them the space to show their credentials," he added. |
| An RAF plane arrived at Brize Norton on Tuesday as part of UK efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan | An RAF plane arrived at Brize Norton on Tuesday as part of UK efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan |
| Among those trying to flee Taliban rule is a former employee of the British Council in Afghanistan, who fears he may face retaliation for working on behalf of the UK. | Among those trying to flee Taliban rule is a former employee of the British Council in Afghanistan, who fears he may face retaliation for working on behalf of the UK. |
| The man - whom the BBC is not naming to protect his safety - told BBC Radio 4's The World At One he had applied to a government relocation scheme more than a month ago, but had yet to be accepted. | The man - whom the BBC is not naming to protect his safety - told BBC Radio 4's The World At One he had applied to a government relocation scheme more than a month ago, but had yet to be accepted. |
| "Talibans are going around our home, going everywhere and I have already received some notifications, some warnings from them," he said. | "Talibans are going around our home, going everywhere and I have already received some notifications, some warnings from them," he said. |
| "I have cried a lot. I do not cry because I lost my salary or my other things, but I cry for my family. I have three daughters and one wife and I have no one else to support them. | "I have cried a lot. I do not cry because I lost my salary or my other things, but I cry for my family. I have three daughters and one wife and I have no one else to support them. |
| "If I die, who will be there to support them?" | "If I die, who will be there to support them?" |
| Have you been personally affected by the issues raised in this story? Tell us by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Have you been personally affected by the issues raised in this story? Tell us by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
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| WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ORDINARY AFGHANS?: The Return of the Taliban | WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ORDINARY AFGHANS?: The Return of the Taliban |
| WHAT'S THE TALIBAN'S END GAME?: A BBC News Special on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan | WHAT'S THE TALIBAN'S END GAME?: A BBC News Special on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan |