UK Media Ask Johnson To Launch Special Visa Program For Their Afghan Staff

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2021) A group of prominent UK media asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday to launch a special visa program for Afghans who helped them cover the situation on the ground and are now at risk of persecution by the Taliban (a terrorist group, outlawed in Russia).

An open letter, signed by over 20 news outlets, including Sky News, Daily Mail, The Economist, The Times, and The Guardian, praised the contribution of Afghan journalists, translators and support staff, who now find themselves in danger.

"With that in mind, we write to you to highlight the urgent need for a special Afghan visa programme for Afghan staff who have worked for the British media so that they and their families can leave Afghanistan and find safety in the United Kingdom," the letter read.

Violent clashes and terrorist attacks continue to ravage Afghanistan despite ongoing peace talks between the government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha. The Islamist movement has managed to overrun a significant portion of the country's rural areas and is now mounting an offensive against major cities.