After helping the British in Afghanistan I’m on the run from Taliban

Beaten and flogged by the Taliban during a four-month ordeal in jail after being branded a spy, Voidie, a former interpreter for the British army, now lies awake at night wondering what his future holds.
Such is the danger to his life that the father of four, who served nearly a year with UK forces on the front line in Helmand province, is constantly moving location in Afghanistan. His life on the run means he has never met his daughter, who is seven months old.
“It is 12.49am here, I can’t sleep, (I am) always thinking about (the) future of my kids and wife. If I get killed, what will happen to my family, who will support them, who will help them go to school, how will be their future?” he wrote to The Times from his latest hiding place around the capital Kabul.
Voidie is one of thousands of Afghans awaiting a decision by the government as to whether they will be given sanctuary in the UK after serving alongside British troops during the war. In some cases lives have been left in limbo for years as they wait for news of their cases. Voidie, which is his nickname rather than his real name, is 33.
Those at greatest risk of being hunted down and killed by the Taliban have been forced to hide in caves. One activist compared their existence to a “Jason Bourne movie” because their whereabouts had to be kept secret and their phone numbers regularly changed. Others have been told they have been rejected for a visa because they were put on a “watch list” or for other security reasons, with no further explanation, leaving them in mental agony, trying to work out where it all went wrong.
Officials have still not been given any direction from the new government on the Afghan relocation policy and related reviews. A review is being carried out into about 2,000 applications by those who served in specialist Afghan units, trained and funded by the UK after the MoD admitted mistakes had been made in the sanctuary decisions.
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It is understood Voidie is awaiting ministerial approval after his original application was rejected on the grounds he was dismissed from the role, a decision that led to a judicial review.
“Since the Taliban took over my life is in a very bad condition. I am jobless, hiding, and I don’t have money to send my family. It has been almost one year since I can’t meet my wife and kids, it is the hardest time of my life.
“That is why I have depression. The problem I have is my safety and I really miss my family, especially my newborn daughter who I cannot meet,” he said.
Voidie applied for sanctuary in the UK in 2021 but his case was rejected because he was dismissed from his role as an interpreter. The reason is disputed. Voidie claimed that he had raised concerns about the treatment of Afghan civilians by a British commander. He said the commander, who was not identified, “behaved poorly” towards Afghans and other interpreters refused to work with him because of his behaviour. He accused the officer of arresting local civilians without any reason, and being verbally aggressive towards them. He said the locals would come to the patrol base and complain that mortars had been shot at their homes and in some cases they asked for compensation.
“The commander would behave disrespectfully towards them and not give them any support. Instead, he would say things like ‘you guys are f***ing Taliban, you are laying IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and trying to attack us’,” he said. Voidie believes he was dismissed because he had raised complaints about this behaviour. He later went on to work as an interpreter for the US special forces.
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As he continued to fight for sanctuary, Voidie was discovered by the Taliban in his family home in May last year and detained by them. Leigh Day, a firm of solicitors that is representing him, has alleged in papers provided to the Ministry of Defence that he was detained by Taliban intelligence and “tortured and interrogated” about his work with the western forces and accused of being a spy.
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Photographs showed the marks on his back from where he was hit with a plank of wood, belt and shoes. After nearly four months he was released when a non-profit organisation run by former US special forces paid $2,000 to the Taliban. However, since his release he thinks he has continued to be monitored by the Taliban and spotted Taliban standing around outside his home. Fearing for his life, he has been on the run waiting for a decision from the UK government ever since.
An MoD spokeswoman said: “It would be inappropriate to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.”
The UK government has moved more than 30,000 eligible people from Afghanistan under various government led relocation and resettlement schemes.