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99% of calls to UK’s Afghanistan evacuation helpline were never answered

Exclusive: Home Office failed to answer almost three million calls, as Afghans fleeing Taliban say UK government ‘did not care’ about them

99% of calls to UK’s Afghanistan evacuation helpline were never answered
UK government answered less than 1% of calls to hotline helping Afghans fleeing Taliban
Published:

More than 99% of calls to a UK government helpline set up to help Afghans escape the Taliban went unanswered, openDemocracy can reveal.

As thousands tried to flee Afghanistan earlier this year, the phone number was meant to advise people who may be eligible for resettlement in the UK.

But the government has now admitted that less than 1% of the calls to the number were answered during the last ten days of the evacuation, between 22 and 31 August.