London: A former commander of the Royal Air Force in Afghanistan told The Independent that the government must grant asylum to the Afghan pilot at the centre of a dispute over deportation from the UK.

The newspaper's campaign urging the administration to grant the pilot sanctuary was supported by Air Marshal Edward Stringer, a former director of operations at the UK Ministry of Defence.

The Afghan participated in numerous combat missions and was commended by his US commander for fighting alongside Western forces against the Taliban.

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The pilot travelled to Britain via Europe in a small boat after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. Because the journey was illegal, he has been threatened with deportation.

The Taliban will never forget that many Afghan forces members served with distinction alongside us, according to Stringer in an opinion piece for The Independent.

Because we were unable to ensure their safety and security in Afghanistan, we owe them all a debt of honour and should grant them asylum as well as the security we promised them in the UK. The time has come for us to show the decency we so proudly claim to possess.

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As commander of the 904 Expeditionary Air Wing in 2008, Stringer collaborated with NATO and Afghan forces. During the Western coalition's war against the Taliban, he was in charge of overseeing the training of a variety of Afghan military personnel.

"The Taliban know as well as we do that we helped train the Afghan pilots (I remember vividly the start of that mission in Kandahar in 2008), and we should stand by those brave men — like the pilot you are campaigning for — now," wrote Stringer.

"We must provide the pilot with refuge after he put his life in danger to fight alongside us. And now, in their hour of need, we must show kindness to all of his compatriots.

Stringer is joined in the call for the pilot to be given sanctuary by a number of prominent British military figures who have backed The Independent's campaign.

Sir Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, Lord Robertson, a former head of NATO, and Gen. Sir Richard Barrons, a former head of joint operations, have all pleaded for the pilot to be granted asylum.

Stringer alleged that government initiatives to protect Afghans in danger are being hampered by bureaucracy.

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The system is not as well-coordinated across government departments as it could be, he wrote, citing the small number of people who successfully navigated the various schemes and safe routes as well as the bureaucratic gaffes that occurred along the way.

"I am not surprised that some people had to cross the Channel in small boats to get to the country they so easily provided service for. The debt that we so obviously owe them must be paid back.