LONDON: Former Afghan soldiers who fought alongside British forces against the Taliban have urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to bring them to safety, The Independent reported on Wednesday.

Thousands of soldiers from two Afghan special forces units — CF333 and ATF444, known as the Triples — fled to neighboring Iran from Afghanistan as the Taliban seized control of the country in 2021.

Years later they are “living in desperation,” awaiting delayed responses to relocation applications in the UK, The Independent reported.

In February, the UK government said it would review about 2,000 application from Afghans with ties to the units.

Some of the former soldiers have remained in Afghanistan and are forced to hide their identities from the country’s Taliban rulers.

Many of the former Triples are awaiting an email from the UK Ministry of Defence permitting their relocation to Britain.

The UK pledged to review the 2,000 applications within 12 weeks from February, but the process has been struck by delays.

Sarah Fenby-Dixon, a campaigner at Refugee Aid Network said: “The desperation is palpable. With winter approaching they cannot feed their children or buy fuel to keep them warm.

“It is now imperative that the Ministry of Defence teams are adequately staffed to ensure that these people are brought to safety as quickly as possible.”

The ministry said in a statement: “As the minister for the armed forces made clear recently to parliament, we understand the frustration that the review is taking so long.

“Key issues within the review have been resolved and we are working hard to ensure that eligible former Triples and their families can move to start a new life in the UK.”