Britain apologises to its Afghan allies, reports the media

The UK Ministry of Defence has apologized for requiring Afghan citizens who worked with London during the US-led NATO occupation of their country to have their documents approved by the Taliban before applying for resettlement in Britain. 37 applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Police (ARAP) program, designed specifically to relocate allies who worked directly with the British military during the war, had been told they would have to have their papers certified with Afghan government departments. The policy amounted to "asking them to sign their own death warrant," one UK lawmaker told the Independent. The Afghan contractors have been sent revised guidance and an apology for any misunderstanding or distress caused by previous instructions. The UK has two dedicated programs for relocating Afghan refugees, but people fleeing the war-torn country now make up the largest portion of small-boat passengers arriving illegally on British shores. The US State Department gave the Taliban lists for busloads of people to be allowed through checkpoints, marking them as potential enemy collaborators.