Friday 7 November 2008

Anglo-French Deportations to Afghanistan

The first flight to result from a new Anglo-French pact to return refugees to the Afghan war zone is due to take place within the next few days. Despite the recent upsurge in fighting in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, the plans by Barak Obama to dramatically increase the US military presence there next year, together with the deaths of NGOs and even DHL workers in previously 'safe' Kabul, the British and French authorities have decided that now is the time to send a strong message to potential refugees from the war zone - "We will send you back to Afghanistan, irrespective of the conditions."

An unknown number of refugees currently held at Harmondsworth IRC will be flown to France, prior to joining 57 Afghans who were recently arrested in the Calais and Dunkirk region, currently being held in the Coquelles detention centre, on the special Paris-Bakou-Kabul charter flight. Thus the British and French governments will be completing the endless refugee carousel to a country listed, by Crisis Watch amongst others, as among the top "continuing conflicts that create refugees."

See: Indymedia background article

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