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Former British military translators have been forced to turn to people smugglers to escape Afghanistan as the Taliban wages a murderous vendetta against those who helped the West.
At least three interpreters who worked on the frontlines have handed over thousands of pounds to be smuggled out of their homeland.
They say they would rather gamble with the perilous illegal routes run by traffickers than risk being caught by the Taliban.
The fears of those who risked their lives beside UK troops have been fuelled by executions, beatings and house-to-house searches in Kabul and surrounding areas.
One former translator was taken by Taliban gunmen from his home and held in a tiny cell, accused of working for the British, while a 30-year-old ex-interpreter said his mother was beaten during a search for him on Thursday night.
One translator, Khan, 30, was taken to hospital after being shot in an ambush he blamed on the Taliban
The fear has seen a boom in business for human traffickers, increasing by 150 per cent since the Taliban took Kabul last month.
The three men, two of whom took their families with them, said they had no alternative but to turn to the smugglers, joining thousands of
