UK embassy guards who helped evacuate diplomats: ineligible for rescue

British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan board a military plane for evacuation from Kabul airport, Afghanistan 
(rt.com)

Around 125 Afghans hired to guard the British Embassy in Kabul have been informed they will receive no protection from the UK government, the Guardian reported, noting they were rejected as they didn’t work “directly” for London.

The 125 local guards, as well as around a dozen other Afghan embassy staffers, were turned away after applying for the UK’s “Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy” (ARAP), designed to help Afghans resettle after working under British agencies, according to the Guardian.

The guards were told that their jobs were terminated through an informal notice only – leaving them confused about their employment status immediately after helping British diplomats flee the country last Saturday. They were also reportedly asked to return company computers, radios and body armour.

“We risked our lives for them, and now we find ourselves in this bad situation – not just us, but our families are at risk,” said one ex-guard who declined to be named. The employees were told that they were not eligible for assistance or protection because they “were not directly employed by her majesty’s government,” having only worked as private contractors under GardaWorld, a Canada-based security firm.
- Afghanistan, (rt.com), 20 August 2021