Afghan interpreters return home as ‘intelligence assets’

British armed forces help US military evacuate civilians from Afghanistan (Image: GETTY) The news emerges on the second anniversary of Operation Pitting, in which 15,000 UK nationals and Afghans were rescued from Taliban’s clutches in the biggest British airlift operation since the Second World War. The small group of former interpreters are all male and were handpicked. They range in age from late 20s to mid-40s and have already met a number of senior MI6 personnel in London. Most are giving up the prospect of settled lives with their families here in England in favour of double lives in Afghanistan or neighbouring Pakistan. Their priority will be to glean any intelligence on the Islamic State network and potential plans to launch attacks in the West. The withdrawal was completed on 30 August 2021 (Image: GETTY) In terror terms today it is neither Taliban nor Al Qaeda which pose the greatest threat to the region and the West, but rather Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate Islamic State Khorasan Province. Pakistani in origin, it has seen its power and influence increase on both sides of the border since the Taliban took power. Senior sources confirmed the new team will be paid generous stipends, but insisted that the job offer wouldn’t in itself successfully guarantee settled status in the UK. Sources say they are the vanguard of a series of similar infiltration exercises which are planned in the future. US President Biden’s decision to abandon Afghanistan in 2021 led to the enforced withdrawal of all Nato troops and most western intelligence assets. Regional expert Catherine Perez-Shakdam said: ‘This plan is a brave gamble and underlines the depths we are willing to plumb in order to try to recover the intelligence gathering ability we once had in Afghanistan.’