UK to Accept 20,000 Afghan Refugees Under Resettlement Scheme Prioritizing Women, Children Who Face Persecution

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom launched a resettlement scheme for Afghans fleeing the Taliban after they retook control, with an initial 5,000 places available in the first year, rising to up to 20,000 in the long run.

The statement came on the eve of an extraordinary session of parliament on Wednesday, in which MPs who were called home from holiday will address the Afghan government's collapse so soon after Western forces left. Following the return of the Islamists, 900 British troops have been deployed back to Kabul to assist in the repatriation of thousands of UK people, including embassy personnel.

The UK welcomes Afghan refugees

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the UK will take up to 20,000 impoverished Afghans as part of a resettlement scheme over the next few years, Sky News reported. The prime minister has vowed that thousands of Afghans in need will be transferred to Britain under the new bespoke system, which is modeled after the UK's seven-year effort to resettle Syrian refugees.

In the first year of the initiative, the government hopes to resettle up to 5,000 Afghans who are at risk owing to their country's present problems. Priority will be given to women and children, as well as religious and other minorities, who are the most vulnerable to Taliban human rights violations and maltreatment.

Another flight carrying British nationals and Afghans evacuated from Kabul following its control by the Taliban landed at RAF Brize Norton in the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined the proposals ahead of an emergency five-hour debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday on the escalating crisis in Afghanistan, which he discussed with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night.

Following a spectacular RAF rescue, the first British and Afghan refugees have safely arrived in the UK after escaping the cruel hands of Taliban insurgents. As refugees aboard an Airbus KC2 Voyager plane from Kabul landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, one relieved passenger offered a hearty thumbs-up.

Today, the Prime Minister will make a promise to free women and girls in particular from the clutches of extremists. Johnson vows to repay the country's "debt" to the Afghan people by rescuing the most vulnerable. It comes as MPs are called back to Parliament for an emergency discussion on the world-shaking Afghanistan situation.

Per The Sun, those qualified will be brought over straight from Afghanistan or the refugee camps anticipated to rise in neighboring countries, modeled after David Cameron's Syrian refugee program. Five hundred twelve British and Afghan personnel have been rescued since Saturday morning, amid heartbreaking pictures of desperate Afghans besieging Kabul's major airport in an attempt to flee the new regime.

Afghanistan's situation receives mixed reactions from world leaders

As the UK's shambolic and hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan is debated by MPs today, the PM is bracing for a fierce clash with his raging backbenchers. He'll be chastised for failing to recognize that a resurgent Taliban would rapidly sweep in and reconquer the country once Allied Forces were hastily removed.

Meanwhile, as other armed thugs walk door-to-door with a murder list, other Taliban troops can be seen laughing and joking as they ride dodgems at a captured theme park. However, from an inaccessible mountain fortress two hours from Kabul, a devoted band of Afghan warlords has promised to fight the Taliban.

According to Home Secretary Priti Patel, the program will allow the most vulnerable Afghans to start a new life in safety in the UK, away from the tyranny and oppression they currently endure. The Afghans who are allowed to enter the UK will be scattered throughout the country, according to the government's announcement last night. A spokesman said the government would cooperate with regional administrations and local councils to ensure that Afghans receive assistance in rebuilding their lives.

Home Office guidance indicates the UK can reject cases based on security, war crimes, or other grounds. The reactions of world leaders to the situation of Afghans have been mixed. Last night, French President Emmanuel Macron came under fire for saying that France would protect itself from migrants escaping the Afghan situation.

After promising a strong European response to illegal migration, he faced accusations that he was betraying ordinary Afghans. Greece took a similar stance yesterday, declaring that it would not become "Europe's gateway" for Afghans fleeing the fighting.

In 2015, the country was at the forefront of Europe's migration crisis, and worrisome events in Afghanistan, like those in other EU member states, could provoke a repeat of the issue, as per Daily Mail.