'We lived in constant fear of Taliban kidnap'

Living in constant fear of kidnap. Making up stories at Taliban checkpoints. Being separated from his family to be questioned.

These are experiences that Parwiz Bakhtari, an Afghan man who is being housed by the British military in south Oxfordshire, said he was hoping to put behind him.

Mr Bakhtari worked for the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces, a department of the Afghan government that was deposed by the Taliban in 2021.

After a "nightmare" journey into Pakistan, Mr Bakhtari, his wife and teenage daughter were finally given the protection of the British military in Islamabad, before being flown to the UK.

Before the Taliban came to power, Mr Bakhtari worked as an intelligence officer for the Afghan government, working alongside British forces. As such, his job made him a high profile target for reprisals.

"We lived in constant fear that the Taliban might kidnap our family members," he said. "My office was attacked several times.

"I was not harmed. Tragically, several of my colleagues were not as fortunate."

When the Taliban swept to power, Mr Bakhtari was faced with the decision to flee his home in Kabul on his own, or take his family with him and try to make it to Pakistan. He chose the latter.

"I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them behind knowing the Taliban could easily target them," he said.

The journey to the Pakistan border was highly dangerous. On the way, he faced the real prospect of detention at Taliban checkpoints.

"Fortunately, we didn't have any identification documents on us," he said. "We made up different stories at each checkpoint."

Once they reached the border crossing, they were questioned by Pakistani police.

After being given accommodation in Islamabad by the British military, he and his family arrived in the UK.

They were resettled under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan.

Operation Lazurite has seen the British army find housing for Afghans and their families, before local councils help them to find more permanent homes.

Mr Bakhtari and his family are currently staying in military accommodation in Watchfield, near Shrivenham.

South Oxfordshire District Council said its housing needs team was working with landlord to find Afghan families private rented accommodation.

Major James Cooke-Rogers, who has been part of the operation in south Oxfordshire, said: "These people risked their lives and their families lives and everything to try and support our forces.

"We owe them that debt of gratitude to look after them and provide them that safety away from persecution."

Mr Bakhtari is now looking forward to a brighter future for his children, despite the pain of having to leave his home country.

He said: "To leave everything behind, a country that I've grown up in, that gave me [an] education and my wife and kids, was a nightmare.

"But now I'm lucky to be able to send my daughters to school and give them [everything] they deserve."

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