An ex-interpreter presented a petition in May calling for Afghan interpreters to be given asylum in Britain.
About half of Afghan interpreters, who worked for British forces in southern Afghanistan, are to be given the right to live in Britain after NATO pullout in 2014, the British government has claimed.
A source from British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office in Downing Street said on Wednesday that Britain is now preparing to offer five-year visas to those interpreters who have regularly served on the front line.
According to the reports, the visas will be granted to about half of the 1,200 interpreters who are currently employed by Britainâ„¢s Foreign Office and Armed Forces.
Under the new proposals, those who remain in Afghanistan after British forcesâ„¢ withdrawal will receive generous packages, including fully-funded training and education for five years, or instead be paid at their current rate for a further 18 months.
Earlier in May, the British PM urged Afghan interpreters not to seek asylum in the UK and to remain in Afghanistan after British forcesâ„¢ withdrawal from the war-torn country.
“When we think of all that we have spent and all the cost in money and human lives we have put into Afghanistan, we should do everything we can to encourage talented Afghans to stay in their country and contribute to it,” Cameron said.
The PM, however, backed down the decision after the interpreters began a legal bid to win the right to live in Britain.
Afghan interpreters, who have worked with British forces in Afghanistan since 2001, now fear retaliation from Taliban militants as foreign forces prepare to withdraw from the Asian country.
According to the reports, 20 interpreters working with British troops in Afghanistan were killed in action and dozens have been injured. Another five were said to have been killed while off duty.
MOS/HE
This article originally appeared on : Press TV