RASC News Agency: A Sky News investigation has revealed that several Afghanistani asylum seekers transferred to the United Kingdom after the Taliban’s return to power have been accused of fabricating stories and producing staged videos in an attempt to strengthen their asylum claims and win the trust of immigration authorities.
The expose comes despite the fact that the British government has already spent billions of pounds on its Afghanistani Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) program, designed to protect and resettle Afghanistani nationals who supported UK forces during the war.
One individual who had worked with British troops in Afghanistan told Sky News: “Some migrants manufactured false narratives and even filmed staged videos to convince authorities they were under Taliban threat.”
Examples cited in the investigation include a man who reportedly borrowed a neighbor’s gun, shot himself in the leg, and claimed Taliban fighters had targeted him; a woman who presented a video of a Taliban beating found online as evidence her own husband was attacked; and another individual who submitted a photograph of his late cousin as a supposed Taliban victim, though the man had actually died in a traffic accident.
The source further revealed that forging “Taliban threat letters” has become a lucrative business in Afghanistan, with prices ranging from £700 to £1,100. “For many Afghanistani migrants, the real challenge of returning home is unemployment, not Taliban persecution,” the source told Sky News, noting that desperation and economic hardship have fueled this shadow industry.
The investigation also highlighted inconsistencies among Afghanistani asylum seekers who claimed to face imminent danger yet returned to Afghanistan for holidays or family events. Images surfaced of such individuals at Kabul airport, in public swimming pools, and at large family gatherings. In one striking case, a man who had applied for asylum shared a video of himself enjoying leisure time in Kabul on social media, only to switch his account to private after Sky News contacted him.
The report additionally noted attempts by some migrants to register children over the age of 20 as under 18, and even to introduce second wives as part of asylum claims.
The UK Ministry of Defence responded by stressing that all applicants under the ARAP scheme undergo strict security vetting before entry and are only admitted if they pass these rigorous checks.
Nevertheless, these revelations have reignited debate over the management and oversight of ARAP, as well as the risks of exploitation of taxpayer-funded resettlement programs. Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, the scheme has cost more than £7 billion, drawing scrutiny over whether resources are reaching those genuinely in danger.
While fraudulent cases raise concerns about abuse of the system, rights advocates warn that they should not overshadow the plight of thousands of Afghanistani nationals particularly women, journalists, and civil activists who face genuine threats of Taliban persecution. The Taliban’s systematic campaign of repression, especially against women and dissenting voices, has created the very climate of fear that opportunists now exploit for false asylum claims.
Analysts caution that the Taliban’s brutality has produced both authentic victims of persecution and an environment of widespread desperation, where some feel compelled to manipulate asylum systems. Ultimately, the investigation underscores not only the urgent need for stricter oversight of relocation programs but also the Taliban’s central role in driving mass displacement, instability, and the erosion of trust in humanitarian pathways.
