Private companies from the US AND the UK should be lining up to hire these guys. What a great PR move. You can tell everyone you're the one who saved the interpreters! I mean even people who are against the war don't want these guys shot on the street.

Plus, all these guys presumably speak arabic and english pretty well, so it isn't like they don't have any skills. I thought there was a major shortage of arabic speakers in the western world... well, here's someone's chance.

Greg Kamstra, London,

In the absence of any reason given by the British Government for denying these people help, I am completely disgusted by the treatment they are receiving and can readily imagine the pompous responses they receive when they ask for help.

One recalls the reactions to the expulsions of Asians by Idi Amin and yet the influx of that much larger number of political refugees able to bring little to Britain except their willingness to work, was highly beneficial to us.

But these Iraqi workers deserve our help without our asking what benefit their presence would have to us.

Bruce Gilbert-Smith, Jericho, Vermont, U.S.A.

Jesus wept! If the interpreters who risked and are continuing to risk their lives to help British forces don't deserve asylum, who does? They and their families are "dead men (and women and children) walking," high value targets for the murderous militias. Shame on the government and the Home Office in their craven attempts to weasel out of this responsiblity.

Rose, Hawalli, Kuwait

"Its ok to take this one person, but all other immigration to the US and UK must stop" The US and the UK invaded and destroyed this man's country, killed hundreds of thousands of it's people and displaced four million others, but it's only ok to take this one person. The ignorance of so many people in this country is incredible and very, very sad. So many still can't be bothered to know the truth behind the destruction of Iraq. There was no reason for Iraq to be invaded, except that the reich-wing neocons had been planning for it since the early 1990s. And now that they have failed in their agenda no one wants to take responsibliity. Then to use the Iraqi people and leave them and their children to be tortured and killed is inhuman. There are four million Iraqis in Syria, Jordan and Egypt barely surviving. The US, which is responsible for their plight, has brought less than 1,000 people to this country. Shame, shame, shame.

S Williams, Detroit, MI, USA

The Danish took their interpreters and families with them when coming home from Iraq. It would only be fair if Great Britain did the same. These guys risked their lifes for the security of British forces.

Miko, Poznan, Poland

What a country. We cannot deport a murderous little thug when he's released, but a few score people who have put their lives on the line for us are ignored when push comes to shove.

And the Americans, as one would expect, are worse. Having utterly destroyed a country and being responsible for the murders of over a million people, the displacement of 25% of the rest of the people they have taken in, from memory, something like 80 Iraqi refugees since 2003.

Roll on catastrophic global climate change; this planet will be better off without the two-legged parasites which infest it.

John Annis, London,

All the country that are asking for help have to know that there is more than a possibilty that they could be looked upon as helping the enemy. Then each country has the responsibity to make sure that to assist them in whatever is needed to keep them and theirr family safe.Otherwise what will happen is no one will want to help knowing there could be severe repercussion for helping . They may want to think about that.

Catherine , West Palm Beach, Florida

It is the most appalling act of bad faith to deny asylum to any Iraqi personnel who have helped the British forces, and now find their lives threatened. There are shameful echoes of the American withdrawal from Vietnam, when hundreds of Vietnamese citizens who had worked for the US were left to the mercies of the Viet Cong. I find it difficult to understand why Gordon Brown needs so long to contemplatse this matter. The answer is quite obvious.

Jane Poncia, B oston, Ma., USA

What sort of a country do we live in where Islamist extremists and Somali rapists are granted asylum and all the benefits that that entails, yet men who have given up their freedom, put their lives on the line and had to leave their families to live at the British base are denied it. I know who I would rather have as my neighbour.

C Miskelly, High Wycombe,

To Old Atlantic,
These people have assisted in the "War on Terror" in perhaps a greater degree than you can ever imagine. The fact that the US and the UK politicians got matters so wrong brings about a moral responsibility to proptect the very people who sought to assist them in their pursuit of a new and free Iraq.
Come on Old Atlantic, tell us what your exploits in the War on Terror are to give you such a high handed opinion over who can live or die, who shoould be given refuge and who should be refused in such an arbitrary manner.
Shame on you for supporting the politicians in refusing to assist those who have served their cause so well over the the years.

NeilWP, Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany

I suppose it depends on their conditions of employment. Were they told at any time that they would be able to go to the UK if anything of this nature happened. They must have known that this could happen if they accepted employment with the enemy forces.

On the other hand, I don't think these people and their families should just be left to be tortured and or murdered. The UK has a responsibility to these people they employed to translate for them. Otherwise they should have taken translators with them from the UK. They have put these people and their families in a horrible situation.

Anne Bell, Mannhei,, Germany

I agree the British Government has a care of duty, but it sounds like the family must have been paid well. I couldn't afford £10,000 ransom!!!!

Norman Pitkin, London, UK

Shame on us for not giving a safe refuge to the interpreters. We owe to them. Brown should reverse this inhuman policy of refusal. Shame on him.

Anil, Watford,

Its ok to take this one person, but all other immigration to the US and UK must stop.

Old Atlantic, Atlantic City, NJ