A British family of five is still stranded in Afghanistan, 18 months after the Taliban took over the country. The father, a British-Afghan dual national, was killed in a car bomb attack in August 2021. His wife and children, who are all British citizens, have been unable to leave the country since then, the Independent newspaper reports.
The family’s brother, who lives in London, has been trying to get them evacuated, but he says he has faced “nothing but obstacles at every turn.” He says the Foreign Office told him that the family could not be evacuated together, and that his brother would have to leave his wife and children behind if he wanted to be rescued. His brother refused to abandon his family, and was killed in the car bomb attack a few months later.
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The family’s brother says he is now calling on the UK government to evacuate his sister-in-law and children. He says they are living in fear in Afghanistan, and that they are desperate to come home to the UK.
The British Home Office has said that it is aware of the family’s case, and that it is working to help them. However, the family’s brother says he is still waiting for guidance on how they can be evacuated. He says he is worried about his sister-in-law and children, and that he does not know how much longer they can stay in Afghanistan.
A British government spokesperson told the Independent newspaper that: “We understand that these are difficult circumstances and our thoughts are with this family.
“We have been in contact with [the sister-in-law] and her family to provide support and assistance to help her make an application.
“We continue to work with like-minded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans.”
The British government has been criticised for its handling of the Afghanistan evacuation and treatment of refugees.
