"Coventry to take in up to 150 Afghans amid Taliban takeover crisis"

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Coventry City Council's Peter Barnett says government employees are 'genuinely in fear for their lives'



Up to 150 Afghan interpreters and other UK government staff could be rehomed in Coventry over the next few months following the Taliban takeover of the country.

Peter Barnett, Head of Migration & Library Services at Coventry City Council, has reaffirmed Coventry's commitment to be a 'city of sanctuary' for displaced people and those seeking refuge.

Mr Barnett said: "We are happy to be a part of the the work to provide safe haven for the people who have been employed by the UK government.

"The first families have arrived and we've got more families planned to arrive shortly.

"We'll have 100-150 within the next couple of months.

"We've been part of refugee resettlement before so we would be looking to see what the details are when they're a bit clearer."

Since the beginning of August, around 25 Afghans have arrived in Coventry and that number is expected to increase to 150 by the end of the month.

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See also:

Afghan asylum seeker raped 14-year-old Leamington girl

Failed asylum seeker jailed for raping vulnerable victim on flats stairwell in Coventry

Afghan teenager arrested after police find 100 drug wraps, cash and a stun gun in flat

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Afghanistan: Person on no-fly list flown to UK during Kabul evacuation



A person from Afghanistan on the UK's no-fly watchlist was flown into Birmingham as part of the evacuation of Kabul, government officials confirmed.

The individual, who was identified as being on the watchlist on arrival in the UK, was later not deemed a person of interest after investigation.

The no-fly watchlist is used to stop people coming to the UK who are thought to be a security threat.

The Home Office said the person was flagged in a "rigorous checks process".

Someone can be placed on the no-fly watchlist due to previous serious criminal conduct as well as terrorism, the BBC's home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford reported.

He said it was accepted mistakes might happen during processing at Kabul's airport due to the speed and scale of the evacuation operation.

Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: "An organised exit strategy would have ensured the necessary checks were in place, so this kind of lapse couldn't happen."