Fresh hope for former Afghan special forces members previously ineligible for UK resettlement

There is renewed hope for former Afghan special forces soldiers who were previously found to be ineligible for resettlement in the UK as their cases will be reviewed.

The government said some decisions were "not robust" and it comes after MPs and campaigners pressed for applications from members of units known as the Triples.

They were reportedly denied sanctuary in the UK, despite fighting alongside British forces in Afghanistan.

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The reported U-turn follows a joint news investigation that found dozens of personnel who served with the Triples had been beaten, tortured or killed by the Taliban since the withdrawal of Nato forces.

They are known as the Triples because the two units' full titles are the Afghan Commando Force 333 and the Afghan Territorial Force 444.

The units were set up, trained and funded by British forces, but fell under the control of the Afghan security forces, meaning they did not immediately qualify for the UK's ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) scheme.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the review would be carried out "as quickly as possible", and said eligibility decisions would be "changed if that is necessary".

Answering an urgent question on the issue in the Commons, the defence minister said the review was ordered after "inconsistent application" of the criteria under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme was found in "certain cases".

Labour welcomed the review but said it "could be too late for many".

Shadow defence minister Luke Pollard called the Government decision a "U-turn", adding: "The minister highlighted inconsistencies in processing these applications: failures, flaws. How was that allowed to happen on his watch?

"Tragically, today's decision could be too late for many," he said.

"The least the Triples deserve is clarity," he said, adding: "But for months, a public spat has played out between the Veterans' Minister (Johnny Mercer) and the Armed Forces Minister (Mr Heappey)."

Mr Pollard said: "The British public do not understand why Afghan special forces who served and fought alongside our troops, who are eligible for safety, have not yet received sanctuary here."

Mr Heappey said he knew many MPs would feel "aggrieved" and said it was his responsibility as a minister to "own any failure of process that happens".

"These are very difficult decisions to make," he said, adding that the applications "present a unique set of challenges" for decision-making, owing to what he described as a lack of records.

He said it was "not entirely accurate" to say the Afghan soldiers were funded by the UK, describing a complex process including money provided to the Afghan government, and "top-up payments" for which records were "very ad hoc".

But Mr Heappey told the Commons: "Whatever the challenges have been, some of the decisions were made in a way that was inconsistent and that is why they must be reviewed."

He said Pakistan would be alerted to the review to try to provide protection from deportation for any of the Triples.

On the "alleged disagreement" between ministers, Mr Heappey said: "I was simply not motivated by those things," and insisted the Ministry of Defence has tried its best to bring as many people to the UK as possible.