It was around 9am when Ahmad was discovered, crumpled and bloodied, in a dried-up canal. The Afghan former sergeant had been left for dead by his Taliban attackers who had used the butts of their guns to strike his head until he was barely recognisable. His 13 years of work with the British special forces had made him a prime target.

All he can remember is being ordered to hand over 20 rifles he didn’t have – and then the savage blows began. “One of them said ‘He has nothing to give us,’ and said they should kill me. They beat me so badly. Four of my teeth got knocked out and my nose was broken. I had to go through many surgeries.”

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Ahmad, whose name has been changed to protect his safety, is one of hundreds of Afghans who served in two little-known elite special forces units known as the “Triples” –which were set up, trained and funded by the British – and yet have been denied relocation to safety in the UK. Most that we’ve spoken to, including Ahmad, have been told by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that they are not eligible because they did not work closely or in partnership with the British.

Continue here: Independent