British Interior Minister Priti Patel said the country is ready to accept 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan over five years as part of a new resettlement program, Reuters reports.
“Refugees can start a new life in safety in the UK, away from the tyranny and oppression they now face”, Patel said.
According to him, the new resettlement scheme will allow 20,000 Afghan citizens to settle in the UK within five years. It is planned that five thousand Afghans will arrive in the country by the end of this year.
“In terms of size and coverage, the scheme is similar to the scheme for the Syrians, within which 20 thousand people have been resettled since 2014. Questions will probably arise as to why this number is the same, given that the population of Afghanistan is twice the population of Syria, and the UK was an active participant in the conflict”, the newspaper notes.
As previously reported by News Front, employees of the American embassy in Kabul destroyed part of the passports of Afghan citizens, making it impossible for them to evacuate.