The Home Office has paused plans to remove three Nepali guards who protected British embassy staff in Afghanistan to their home country, while releasing a fourth from detention.
Bam Bahadur Gurung, a 37-year-old Nepali national who worked in Afghanistan for more than a decade, was released from detention on Wednesday afternoon.
His release comes just over a week after he and nine others were rounded up by the Home Office, then arrested and detained.
Some of Gurung’s colleagues were killed or injured in a direct attack on security guards by a Taliban suicide bomber in June 2016, in which 13 Nepali and two Indian security guards died. One who was injured was Kumar Bahadar Gurung, 47. He was among the group detained on 27 March and is currently at the Heathrow immigration removal centre. He received many awards for his work in Afghanistan, including from the UN.
The latest development in the case follows outcry after the Guardian revealed that the group of guards from the embassy in Kabul who had been airlifted to safety in the UK had been detained. Most of the men are Nepali nationals, some are Gurkhas and others are Indian nationals.
Two of the detained men who do not appear to have had removal plans cancelled had been granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) by the Home Office, and were unaware of any problems with their status at the time of their arrest.
All were on the same flight out of Kabul and all of their claims were processed together. Three men in a group of 13 who were airlifted to safety and who were granted ILR were not arrested and detained. It is unclear why three different members of the group of guards have not received the same treatment from the Home Office.
Speaking from the Brook House immigration removal centre at Gatwick, soon after he was told he was going to be released, Bam Bahadur Gurung said: “I am delighted but I do not understand what is happening. I’ve been told to go to the reception area of the detention centre but nobody is explaining anything.”
Kumar Bahadar Gurung remained in detention on Wednesday evening. “I am very happy for Bam,” he said, adding that he also did not understand what was happening.
Jamie Bell, of Duncan Lewis Solicitors, who is representing some of the guards, said: “We are delighted that the Home Office have deferred removal directions for three of our clients and have released Bam Gurung. We are deeply concerned that nine men remain detained and that some still have pending removal directions. We again question why men who served this country so bravely are being treated in such a cruel and erratic way.”
Dan Jarvis, the Labour MP for Barnsley Central, who has a military background, said: “It’s deeply concerning to see these brave men facing deportation after initially being granted settlement in the UK. The Home Office continues to demonstrate a dereliction of duty when it comes to the lives of those who provided selfless service to our country.
“These men risked their lives for the UK and in return are being treated like criminals. Even at this late hour, there is still just time to do the right thing and honour the commitment made to settle here.”
A Home Office spokesperson said:“Removal of this cohort has been paused, pending further review.”
