In a decision that has been condemned by military officials, the British army’s longest-serving Afghan interpreter has been denied the right to relocate to the UK.
The 34-year-old interpreter known as Ricky, worked for the British military in Afghanistan for 16 years and is described by senior officers in reports as having shown “unfailing loyalty”. His application appears to have failed based on a technicality: the Ministry of Defence’s relocation policy requires that applicants must have served in Helmand province while Ricky worked in the capital, Kabul. Ricky was reportedly made redundant in November 2017 and was offered a severance payment that consisted of either a lump sum payment of 10 months’ salary or an education package.
