Dubai: The latest prominent public figure to support an Afghan pilot who fought alongside British troops in his own country but is now in danger of being deported from the UK to Rwanda is British war hero Simon Weston.

After months of hiding from the Taliban following the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, the pilot made his own way to the country after being denied any safe, legal route to asylum in Britain, eventually arriving aboard a small boat.

According to Weston, a veteran of the 1982 conflict over the Falkland Islands with Argentina, no one will ever again be willing to risk their lives to support British military operations abroad if the pilot is deported, according to a report in The Independent newspaper on Wednesday.

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Weston expressed his "true sadness and upset" at the Home Office's threat to deport the pilot. Weston, who sustained severe burns to nearly half of his body when the warship he was serving on was bombed during the Falklands conflict, said he was "genuinely saddened and upset."

The UK government has stated that its deportation to Rwanda policy is intended to target economic migrants who enter the nation illegitimately. In a recent opinion piece, Sir Richard Dannatt, the former commander of the British Army, stated that there is a "flaw in evolving British policy" and that the airman should be treated as a "special case" for asylum.

There have been requests for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to give more support to Afghan heroes who helped British troops since The Independent's revelation of the pilot's plight.

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Weston claimed the airman had "done nothing wrong" by travelling to the UK in that manner and had displayed bravery, grit, and ingenuity in doing so.

"This is all about humanity, and he deserves to be here because of the risks he took," he continued. "The only side we should take here is humanity's side; this is not a political issue, it's not about one side or another."

The pilot had joined the Afghan air force, clearly demonstrating his intelligence and skill, according to Weston, a former Welsh Guard who said the pilot would "benefit" the UK. The British veteran is the most recent of more than 20 politicians and military leaders to support The Independent's campaign to stop the  deportation.

The government should "honour its commitment" to aid Afghan war heroes who cooperated with British forces, according to the Royal British Legion, which speaks for tens of thousands of UK service members, veterans, and their families.

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The pilot, as Arab News previously reported, was referred to by his US supervisor as a "patriot to his nation." The airman had been informed that entering the UK without permission could "consequences for whether (his) claim is admitted to the UK asylum system" and might lead to deportation to Rwanda in accordance with government policy targeting migrants who enter the country on small boats.

But the pilot claimed that British authorities had "forgotten" him, adding, "What safe and legal way was there after the fall of Afghanistan?"