London: The US will continue to see to the needs of Afghan veterans who fought alongside Western forces in the conflict with the Taliban, the White House announced on Wednesday.

The American commitment increases pressure on UK officials, who have come under fire for turning down an Afghan pilot's application to the country's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy program.

A small boat that crossed the English Channel carried the unidentified former lieutenant of the Afghan Air Force to the UK along with other migrants. He claimed that he chose this route because he had no other safe options.

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As a result of the UK government's contentious new asylum policy, which the British Court of Appeal deemed illegal last month, he now risks being deported to Rwanda.

The pilot's American boss referred to him as a "patriot to his nation," as Arab News previously reported.

"I am very dissatisfied. In Afghanistan, we weren't just performing routine tasks; we were completing your missions. The UK and US would not have been able to carry out their operations without our Afghan forces, the pilot previously told The Independent newspaper.

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"I hope the US will be able to help if the UK abandons us once more. In

contrast to what the UK is doing with me, many former Afghan pilots are even flying in the US today. My family is still in danger in Afghanistan, so I'm hoping that if I can make it to the US, I can resume my career as a pilot and have a future.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, stated that "our commitment continues to stand." "To make sure we look after the people who supported us during this nation's longest war."

The US announced in May that it would look into the possibility that the pilot who was turned down by UK authorities might be eligible for asylum there.

Military leaders, politicians, and celebrities have all called for the pilot to be allowed to settle in the UK since The Independent started a campaign to draw attention to his case.

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According to a spokesperson for the British government, the country has brought nearly 25,000 Afghan refugees to the country and "remains committed to protecting those who flee Afghanistan."

The spokesperson continued, "We continue to work with like-minded partners and nations bordering Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for qualified Afghans.