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| Use abandoned British army equipment to save Iraqi refugees, say campaigners | Use abandoned British army equipment to save Iraqi refugees, say campaigners |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Campaigners have called for David Cameron to intervene over bureaucracy which is preventing former British Army equipment from being used to save the lives of Iraqi refugees. | Campaigners have called for David Cameron to intervene over bureaucracy which is preventing former British Army equipment from being used to save the lives of Iraqi refugees. |
| A tent village in Afghanistan, which was used to house British officers during the war there and could shelter up to 1,000 refugees, is being abandoned in Kandahar by the army as it completes its pullout – unless somebody is prepared to buy it for use elsewhere. | A tent village in Afghanistan, which was used to house British officers during the war there and could shelter up to 1,000 refugees, is being abandoned in Kandahar by the army as it completes its pullout – unless somebody is prepared to buy it for use elsewhere. |
| The encampment is better than the tents usually supplied for disaster relief: the four-person tents are lined against winter cold and it also has washing facilities, a kitchen, laundry and three generators to supply electricity. | The encampment is better than the tents usually supplied for disaster relief: the four-person tents are lined against winter cold and it also has washing facilities, a kitchen, laundry and three generators to supply electricity. |
| It has been packed up and left in Kandahar as part of the British withdrawal from Afghanistan. After the troops left only the equipment the army deems essential, such as armoured vehicles, is flown back to Britain. Everything else has been handed over to private company Agility to sell to interested parties but the deal must be concluded by Friday this week if the deadline for complete withdrawal is to be met. | It has been packed up and left in Kandahar as part of the British withdrawal from Afghanistan. After the troops left only the equipment the army deems essential, such as armoured vehicles, is flown back to Britain. Everything else has been handed over to private company Agility to sell to interested parties but the deal must be concluded by Friday this week if the deadline for complete withdrawal is to be met. |
| A Christian charity, the Barnabas Fund, wants to buy the encampment for use in the mountains of northern Iraq where it could shelter some of the 20,000 homeless refugees from Isis if it arrives before the winter comes. | A Christian charity, the Barnabas Fund, wants to buy the encampment for use in the mountains of northern Iraq where it could shelter some of the 20,000 homeless refugees from Isis if it arrives before the winter comes. |
| Although the money to buy the encampment has been raised, the cost of commercial air freight is prohibitive. The camp with all its equipment will cost around $450,000. The air freight to Erbil in Iraq might easily be three times as much. | Although the money to buy the encampment has been raised, the cost of commercial air freight is prohibitive. The camp with all its equipment will cost around $450,000. The air freight to Erbil in Iraq might easily be three times as much. |
| The whole encampment is presently packed up inside 30 shipping containers, ready to be moved anywhere in the world, but land travel out of Afghanistan is slow and requires complicated negotiations with the various armies and warlords who control the roads. | The whole encampment is presently packed up inside 30 shipping containers, ready to be moved anywhere in the world, but land travel out of Afghanistan is slow and requires complicated negotiations with the various armies and warlords who control the roads. |
| The RAF has the capacity to fly the entire encampment in a matter of days and the cost might be covered by the Dfid budget, says Tim Cross, a retired major general now working in the voluntary sector. But the decision-making process within the department is too slow for this to happen in time to save refugees from winter. | The RAF has the capacity to fly the entire encampment in a matter of days and the cost might be covered by the Dfid budget, says Tim Cross, a retired major general now working in the voluntary sector. But the decision-making process within the department is too slow for this to happen in time to save refugees from winter. |
| “It is necessary to make a decision and act,” said Cross. “Now is the time. We may not be able to provide decent accommodation for every refugee immediately but we can begin by helping the first thousand or so.” | “It is necessary to make a decision and act,” said Cross. “Now is the time. We may not be able to provide decent accommodation for every refugee immediately but we can begin by helping the first thousand or so.” |
| Mark Huckstep of the Barnabas Fund said that the cost of airfreight was far beyond the means of any NGO, and in any case so much that the money might be better spent on other forms of disaster relief. But the camp, if it could be transported to Kurdistan, would form the nucleus of a program to meet the need for shelter. | Mark Huckstep of the Barnabas Fund said that the cost of airfreight was far beyond the means of any NGO, and in any case so much that the money might be better spent on other forms of disaster relief. But the camp, if it could be transported to Kurdistan, would form the nucleus of a program to meet the need for shelter. |
| “There are 20,000 homeless refugees in and around Erbil. This camp would be a beginning – a core – for the meeting of the desperate need for shelter. Nothing else will do as well, if we can get it there. | “There are 20,000 homeless refugees in and around Erbil. This camp would be a beginning – a core – for the meeting of the desperate need for shelter. Nothing else will do as well, if we can get it there. |
| “Portable buildings or caravans are not readily available in Kurdistan. New-build homes take too long to build and winter is fast approaching. This goodwill gesture using C17 planes is well within the capability of the RAF and would be a sign of Britain’s ongoing humanitarian commitment,” Huckstep said yesterday. | “Portable buildings or caravans are not readily available in Kurdistan. New-build homes take too long to build and winter is fast approaching. This goodwill gesture using C17 planes is well within the capability of the RAF and would be a sign of Britain’s ongoing humanitarian commitment,” Huckstep said yesterday. |
| The Ministry of Defence said: “Once the contract has been arranged between the Ministry and Agility, it is for Agility to arrange for the transport and disposal of the items.” | The Ministry of Defence said: “Once the contract has been arranged between the Ministry and Agility, it is for Agility to arrange for the transport and disposal of the items.” |
| • This article was amended on Thursday 16 October. We had stated that the tent village could save up to 20,000 people. In fact it could shelter up to 1,000. |