Plea to save Afghans linked to opium crop program
Afghan agricultural experts who worked with the Australian government to help replace opium as that country’s predominant crop are now on the run from the Taliban and need help.
NSW
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A group of Afghan agricultural experts who worked with the Australian government to help replace opium as that country’s predominant crop are now on the run from the Taliban and desperately need Australia’s help.
These experts and their families have to move from safe house to safe house after a Taliban raid on their office discovered Australian government, DFAT and AusAID correspondence and letterheads, lawyer and army veteran Glenn Kolomeitz told The Saturday Telegraph.
It comes as a Senate inquiry found urgent assistance must be provided to evacuate Afghans who worked with Australia and remain at risk in their country.
“The Taliban and other belligerent groups have targeted these people due to their work with Australian agencies and have issued direct threats against some of them,” Mr Kolomeitz said.
“They are moving from safe house to safe house to avoid detection not only from Taliban but from ISIS and other belligerent groups who believe they are holding the millions of dollars the Australian government poured into the program over the last 18 years.
“These agricultural experts bring enormous skills and qualifications to Australia, which are in great demand in this country.”
“They were instrumental in growing food source crops in arid areas in Afghanistan. This was also with a view to replacing poppy (opium) as the predominant cash crop.”
Humanitarian Dr Kay Danes assists GAP Veteran and Legal Services, who are representing the group of 10 families fearing for their lives.
Dr Danes said this group was at particular risk because of their previous affiliations with the Australian government.
“There are also 30 vulnerable women and children among the group,” she said.
“One of the wives of one of the scientists was an official in the Afghanistan Ministry of Women. She gave interviews to radio and television espousing equal rights for women and other women’s issues.
“The wives and daughters of three other staff were school teachers, who before going into hiding, actively protested for women rights and were badly beaten.”
“We’ve done the due diligence on this group and three other groups that all have very strong connections to the Australian government. We continue to appeal to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to consider their plight.
“We have it from our highly reliable security and intelligence sources that Pakistan is not a safe haven for our groups, due to Afghan and Pakistan Taliban and ISIS groups actively seeking them out.
“These are not typical Afghan refugees. They are at significant risk of harm as a result of their employment with certain specified agencies of the Australian government in Afghanistan.”
Mr Kolomeitz said the 272-page Senate report noted there have been reports that some locally engaged employees who applied for visas tragically “have been injured or killed by the Taliban, with others currently in hiding due to their association with Australia”.
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