Ministers have been warned that some Afghans airlifted to Britain could become ‘radicalised’ by terror groups.
The fears were set out in the Government’s internal review of the scheme to rescue thousands from the clutches of the Taliban.
The review also revealed that, amid the UK’s housing crisis, more Afghans could end up homeless than previously thought.
Local authorities struggling to find homes for the new arrivals may also face a funding shortfall, ministers were warned.
Whitehall officials have been outlining the potential consequences of the Government’s secret Afghan airlift – Operation Rubific – for many months. Last October, when Labour ministers agreed to spend £7billion, they were told that 10 per cent of the incoming migrants were anticipated to ‘enter the homeslessness system’ and that there could be threats to ‘community cohesion’. Pressures on local education and health services were also cited.
In his internal review of Operation Rubific, Paul Rimmer, a retired civil servant who interviewed more than a dozen experts including from the Home Office’s homeland security group, stated: ‘Several…expressed concern around the risk that resettled Afghans could be radicalised in the UK.’
Mr Rimmer, who interviewed officials from across Whitehall, said: ‘There is a risk of a growing gap between resettled Afghans’ expectations, and the reality of what ever-more stretched domestic services can deliver. Some also highlighted concerns around the extent to which Afghanistan is becoming a base for a wide range of terrorist groups.’
This unmarked Airbus 330-202, used as part of the clandestine Afghan airlift scheme, touches down in Britain from Pakistan this year
Hundreds of migrants file off a taxpayer-chartered jet
Taliban fighters patrolling in Kabul
Mr Rimmer noted that the ‘UK domestic housing system is under acute pressure’ and said there were ‘record levels of homelessness’, with pressures adding to ‘risks to community cohesion’. He said these were ‘all key areas for public debate’, but the Government’s super-injunction had ‘stopped this scrutiny being possible’.
The news blackout was imposed in August 2023 after the Daily Mail discovered the British military had put 100,000 people ‘at risk of death’ by losing a database of Afghans who had applied for UK sanctuary. Since then, the Government has been running a secret immigration scheme to rescue thousands of them.
After ministers were warned one in 10 of the new arrivals was expected to ‘enter the homelessness system’, a new Whitehall briefing paper, seen by the Mail, now says it might be even worse.
The paper states: ‘There are concerns this is overly optimistic.’ Officials said uncertainties over the scheme, which relies on many Afghans being able to find their own private accommodation, meant the true numbers ‘presenting as homeless’ after their nine months of free accommodation could be higher than 10 per cent.
The review noted that while the average Afghan family was five people, about 10 per cent of Afghan families consisted of eight or more people, making it especially difficult to find them suitable accommodation.
In Bracknell, Berkshire, where 300 Afghans are being accommodated in a hotel, locals have said they welcome the Afghans who fought alongside British forces and deserve British help, but also said many local veterans have struggled to find homes themselves.
The Government’s decision to embark on the scheme without MPs or the public having any say has so far triggered four parliamentary inquiries.
A Government spokesman said: ‘As with all those arriving to the UK, all those found eligible for the ARR have to undergo robust security checks, including for national security. If they don’t pass these checks, they are not granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
‘We are working with local authorities to ensure housing solutions meet the needs of the UK population, as well as Afghans who are resettling here. This includes through the Local Authority Housing Fund, which supports English councils to obtain temporary accommodation for those owed a homelessness duty.’
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