Mansfield soldier calls on Government to get interpreter he worked with out of Afghanistan

"Abdul-Ali", (not his real name) is currently in hiding from the Taliban in Kabul with his family.

After years of service with the British Army during the Afghan war, he and his family have now received a letter refusing them entry into the UK.

The letter from the Home Office said they will not be allowed into the UK because they are a danger to "national security" and their "presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public good".

But he says he does not know why he and his family would pose a risk in the UK and is urging the British government to reverse the decision before they are killed.

Corporal Vance Bacon-Sharratt, from Mansfield, is one of a group of veterans who worked with Abdul-Ali for six months, doing all they can to help get him and his family to safety.

Speaking to Sky News, said he believes "the country is indebted to him".

"I feel like we've left a friend behind, he's one of us. I wish there was something we could do for him. I feel like the country is indebted to him and we need to help him," he said.

"There are photos of him in the same uniform as us, he wears a British flag on his arm and he believed in what we believed in. Now he's left in a basement somewhere, hiding for his life."

He added: "He fought for our country when many people in England weren't fighting at the time. He stood by us. I class him as British, I class him as family."

Twice, Abdul-Ali braved the chaos and danger outside Kabul Airport to get on to a flight to safety, but as his request to come to the UK was rejected he and his family returned to a friend's house where they are now hiding in a basement running out of supplies.

Speaking from hiding, he said: "The situation is very dangerous for us right now, this is an emergency, it is very critical. The Taliban is killing people like me, interpreters are the main target for the Taliban.”

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