A British ex-soldier trying to evacuate 400 Afghans was reportedly arrested by the Taliban on Thursday and thrown in jail, where he was questioned about his wives in a Kabul business.
Ben Slater, a former member of the Royal Military Police who now heads the Nomad Concepts Group, has traveled hundreds of miles in an effort to evacuate nationals after the UK refused to approve visas during the airlift from Kabul, he reported Sky News.
He said at the outset that he had already managed to get 67 people out of the Taliban-controlled country.
But after the failed offer to get his workers and their families on a plane, Slater, 37, spent two days at a hotel near the border, the Telegraph reported.
Slater was jailed Thursday morning by the Taliban and questioned about members of her staff, many of whom are single women staying at the hotel without her husband, according to the media.
He was later released and allowed to cross the border with an aide, but was told the rest of the people would have to return to the Afghan capital because they do not have exit visas.
Slater told the Telegraph that he would continue to try to obtain visas for them and asked for help from the UK Office and Home Office for the outside world, the Commonwealth and development.
“The last blow to the operational option is that the UK only grants me myself and one of my executive assistants at the border today, they have not even suggested that they issue visas for some or the rest of my group.” he told the newspaper.
“It is a complete disaster. It’s disgusting. It’s more than horrible, ”Slater added.
Earlier, he told Sky News that his business “collapsed completely” after the Taliban’s capture and that he focused his attention on helping people escape.
“Obviously we helped a lot of people to evacuate, we managed to get 67 people out through applications because we were in the country and, obviously, we changed our decision to evacuate our own vulnerable staff, mainly women working in the sectors. which are not too popular with the new regime, “Slater said at the outset.