An Afghan child playing cricket at a UK military base after arriving via a resettlement scheme

Afghanistan

MOD ends use of military housing for new arrivals on Afghan resettlement scheme

The Defence Estate is no longer being used to house new arrivals under resettlement schemes for eligible Afghans, BFBS Forces News understands.

Around 38,000 Afghans have been brought to the UK under various schemes, with many initially rehomed in accommodation normally reserved for service personnel and their families.

Since 2022, a military operation known as Op Lazurite has overseen the arrival and integration of more than 36,000 individuals - including 4,500 who came to the UK under a secret scheme only revealed this week.

Most arrivals were initially processed on military bases, with a significant number later housed in Service Family Accommodation which is usually set aside for military personnel and their dependants.

Under the scheme, which saw Army units mobilised for six-month tours to support the arrivals process, Afghan families could remain in military housing for up to three years.

At its peak, 12% of all Service Family Accommodation (SFA) was occupied by Afghan families under Op Lazurite.

Sources say that currently between 1.5% and 2% of military homes remain in use by Afghan nationals.

Watch: Inside Op Lazurite: the British military operation to settle Afghans in the UK

Military personnel deployed on Op Lazurite typically provide transportation from entry points, such as airports around the UK, and help facilitate initial arrivals' activities, including registering with a doctor.

The decision to stop using military accommodation was taken in recent weeks , although earlier reports had already suggested the phased withdrawal of Defence Estate housing.

Official government guidance on the Afghan Resettlement Scheme, which was last updated on 2 July, still states that new arrivals will be placed in "transitional accommodation", including "serviced accommodation and hotels" alongside "reduced use of the Defence Estate".

It's unclear whether the move to end the use of military housing is linked to the lifting of a superinjunction - granted nearly two years ago but only revealed this week - which had prevented reporting on a separate, secret resettlement scheme.

Defence Secretary John Healey announced the immediate closure of all Afghan resettlement schemes at the start of July - including the secret one created after a data leak, which had been protected by the court order.

However, Afghans who applied before 1 July remain eligible for relocation to the UK under existing provisions, including the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

But that will no longer include housing on military estates, which was previously offered through the Op Lazurite arrivals process.