He fought alongside the British special forces in Afghanistan. This is the reality of trying to build a life in the UK
TThe walls are freshly painted bright white and the floors are clean. But even though it’s a gray, cold winter’s day outside, all the windows of this two-bedroom flat in West London are wide open.
There is no visible mold, but Abdul’s family, including his pregnant wife Aisha, have been struggling to breathe due to dampness in the property since they moved in in October. Desperate to get some fresh air into the apartment, they opened the windows.
Abdul says their 11-year-old son’s usually controlled asthma has become much worse. When he struggled to breathe during a particular flare-up a few weeks ago, Abdul took him to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s emergency room, fearing that his son’s medication might not be enough to keep him well in his new living situation.
Abdul, a former Afghan special forces soldier who fought alongside the British, had dreamed of the day he could bring his family to the UK and was delighted when that day finally arrived in August this year.
He served in an elite Afghan unit known as Afghan Regional Force 444, one of two units set up and paid for by the British to work alongside the best of the UK armed forces. In the chaos of the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, many of those who worked closest to the UK were left behind; Dozens of allies were killed, kidnapped or tortured by the Taliban.
While the Ministry of Defense (MoD) set out resettlement routes for those who had worked with the British, errors led to hundreds of asylum applications from Afghans with reliable links to special forces units being mistakenly rejected.
The government examined thousands of these applications. IndependentLighthouse Reports and Sky News revealed how help was being denied to applicants. Supreme Court justices found that flawed decision-making led to the abandonment of these Afghan commandos.
Abdul managed to escape Afghanistan in 2015, but his application to come to the UK was initially rejected in 2023, despite risking his life to work with British troops.
Fearing deportation in Europe, he lived homeless at times and was eventually granted asylum in the country he served through the Department’s resettlement scheme in August this year.
But the move meant coming face to face with the reality of trying to make a life in Britain with little support. Abdul, unlike some of his former colleagues here, speaks good English but still has difficulty adapting to his new living conditions.
He has little to do during the day and isn’t sure where he can turn to find activities for his two boisterous sons, ages 11 and 5. She wants to work and enroll her children in school, but only after finding a place to settle in. A friend of Abdul’s in the UK, Alex Isaac, a former paratrooper who fought alongside him, is trying to help him build a new life in Britain and calls him every night for company. He offered him a job as a groundwork trainee at his construction company in Ipswich, but the family can’t afford a deposit to start renting privately in the area.
Abdul said attempts to get help from the municipality and the Ministry of Internal Affairs with deposit financing were unsuccessful. Afterwards Independent When he contacted the local council they were able to start the process of helping Abdul and his family move to Ipswich. A source from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that the municipality also agreed to pay a deposit.
Abdul said the family had received little support from council support workers since moving to the property in Fulham, while a Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesman said the family had been offered help with furniture and household goods, financial support, school places for children and GP and maternity services.
The council said Abdul’s private homeowner had twice refused to allow his contractors to carry out repairs, but Abdul said they only wanted to make temporary fixes that would not solve the problems.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesman added: “We have a long and proud history of going above and beyond to support refugees, helping more than 120 Afghan refugees settle into new homes and providing places in schools throughout this year.
“Abdul wanted to move to Ipswich and we are working with the Home Office and his family to help.”
Local authorities can request £24,110 per Afghan from the government over three years to provide “integration support”. More money could also be sought by the council to support children’s education, with payments of up to £5,130 per child aged 5 to 18. Local health care providers may also request money from the government to support Afghan refugees.
The apartment the local municipality found for the family consists of only a bed for Abdul and his wife, bunk beds for their children, a table and a sofa, with few belongings to make it feel like home. He revealed that through Abdul’s housing benefit, the government was paying his landlord £1,850 a month for the property.
The family does not use the washing machine because they say the mold in the machine is causing their clothes to smell, and instead Abdul’s wife Aisha washes their laundry by hand. Although they were able to use the refrigerator, the sealant around the door was moldy and cracked.
Abdul explained that the toilet sink also leaked and the bathroom often smelled. Their sons occasionally refused to sleep in their bunk beds because they noticed cockroaches in the room and the carpet corners easily lifted up, creating an alarming tripping hazard.
Since being inside makes it difficult for them to breathe, the family often spends hours sitting in the small nearby park or wandering around the local mall.
Aisha, who is pregnant, also has difficulty breathing. A letter of support from the local community midwife details the family’s concerns about their living conditions.
“The property has leaks, moisture, stains, and insect infestation,” the letter said. “[Abdul] “During the midwifery appointment she showed me some worrying photos, including two children aged 11 and 5 receiving multiple insect bites.”
He continued: “I request that their case be given immediate priority for the welfare of the entire family… It is imperative that the family be provided with alternative suitable housing that meets their needs and provides a safe and healthy environment for the parents, young children and the newborn.”
Abdul said: “We don’t want luxury housing. I’d rather be able to support myself. I’ve already found an Ipswich property where the rent is hundreds less. If we could move there we’d save the state money. Nobody should be paying that amount for this property because it’s not affordable.”
“My son had asthma before, but not like this. [Since] We came to this property, he always uses his emergency inhaler. We use both inhalers constantly.
“My wife is also having trouble breathing and is pregnant. The children are afraid to sleep because there are cockroaches in their rooms. They wake up at night because they are afraid and they do not have a table or place to do their homework. There is also a smell in the apartment.”
He continued: “Me and my wife are very stressed. I don’t know what to do with this situation.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “This government is determined to deliver on our nation’s commitment to the brave Afghans who support the UK mission in Afghanistan.
“Concerns about housing should be reported to local authorities. We work closely with them to ensure every family gets the support they need.”
