Why should this come as a surprise? With rare exceptions, HMG has always provided immigration arrangements for those who helped whatever administration was in power and thereby risked their lives and the lives of their families. One has only to look at the arrangements for the independence of Cyprus to observe the number of non-British nationals who were spirited away from the island in the months before independence and allowed to settle in the UK. The alternative was wholesale bloodletting at a later date.

Walter Coleshill, Chapel Hill, N.C., U.S.A.

Eugene,

both of my grandfathers were of Irish descent, one of my grandmothers is of Dutch descent.

Many of my close friends were born in India.

Do you know how many patents, nobel prizes etc for UK citizens have been granted to UK Citizens who were NOT born in the UK?

These are the people that we DO WANT in our country, those that work hard, are educated and have moral fibre, which is something that you certainly appear to be lacking in.

There are countries nearby to the UK that until recently were practicing (no pun intended) Eugenics, if that is the sort of place you wish to live in, then I am sure there won't be too many people in the UK shedding tears at your emigration party...

There was a party in Germany called the National Socialist German Workers Party, they had some very clear views as to how people of differing races did not did not contribute to the greater good of society, may I suggest that you do some research on them and what they did?

Regards,

Jason

Jason Scrutton, London,

The euphorie to one side. Whilst I welcome the announcement, the timing is dangerous, and if shown to be part of a bigger clearing of the decks before an election announcement early this week is a disgrace. Start applauding by all means, but do it when those in present and current danger an at risk are safe. From the moment this announcement was released, that risk increased dramatically, and what must now happen is a turnkey extraction and evacuation of those people as soon as possible. If this does not happen quickly more lives will be lost due to the planning that has gone into this review. If on the other hand, this does not happen and what has been announced has no substance behind it, and that this announcement has been made to placate the public at large, it will by all accounts be the most costly and damaging episode yet, on our involvement in Iraq. I am currently waiting for the FCO to call me to clarify this, so I can tell my translators how much danger they are in today.

Mark Brockway, London, UK

Eugene,

The report said a few hundred interpreters, NOT a few thousand, but feel free to multiply everything by 10 if that's what you need to do to feed your xenophobia and paranoia.

Meyrick Kirby, Glasgow, UK

Above comment: "I was in Iraq............Don't kid yourself that the interpreters are some kind of brave hero risking their lives for democracy and a better Iraq etc. " ??

My comment: I think we all know their lives wouldn't be worth five bob once we've gone. If you work for the [UK] armed forces and are at risk as a consequence, our nation should take care of you - and we are, like it or not.

Above comment: "We have just opened the gates for more people to sponge from our welfare system" ??

My comment: They won't be on welfare too long - these are working people. Can't think the above comments really come from any British soldier who has been in Iraq.

Paul Medhurst, Vienna, Austria

for Rishon -
the reason forces often hire local interpreters, etc, is due to a couple of factors - one, hiring locally, even if you pay well, is cheaper than shipping people overseas; two, local staff know specific dialects (in Arabic, what you'd speak in, say, Lebanon, is quite different to what you'd speak in Iraq), and also are familiar with the area; three, specifically in re: this war, the whole point at the beginning was local engagement. It went terribly awry, but the initial strategy was to get local Iraqis' buy-in, and then be able to have the UK forces leave.

Ri, London,

Dear Sirs
You cannot imagine how much I am grateful for the campaign led by your esteemed news paper to defend the rights of many forgotten people who are scarifying their lives just because they worked or still working for the British army.
You cannot believe the daily horror they are living and the tragic circumstances they are facing some of them were kidnapped and tortured to death in the most savage way you can think of, others are threatened to have the same fate.
Thank you because your effort to obtain asylum for them in UK has given who still have the chance to be alive a new hope of life and a future which they give up to think about while they surrendered to their obscure destiny when a police force dominated by the militia will come to take them to an unknown destination then to be found later killed and abandoned in the no where.
These militias were threatening even people like me who were working in humanitarian projects like electric power, water, schools, as I was working in G5 unit which was responsible for the civil affairs. You can see that they spare no one.
Just one favour I would like to ask here, don’t forget us, because many of us believe that the British government may not be serious in this issue. And if the British government is going to take action in this matter, it should be as soon as possible because the search for the collaborators by the militias will be more intensive now this news has been published in the media.
Thank you again.
Yours sincerely
A.R.S
Former British forces employee
Basra

A.R.S, Basra, Iraq

Good news, glad to see we are keeping deals and rewarding the brave. That’s dealing with a straight pack of cards. Welcome to the UK.

Daniel, London,

They made soldiers' lives a little easier, perhaps saved a few soldiers' lives. These courageous acts should not be forgotten. The least the UK can do is grant them this asylum. I'm happy those interpreters will finally be free.

Nuntius, London, UK

Well done to the Times. Although I am fervently against immigration and believe this should halted and those already here persuaded to go back to their own country, allowing these interpreters to come here is the right and proper thing to do.

D Case, Newquay,

Consistency is greatly appreciated!! Nowadays;it is rather difficult to find politicians stands firmly to their principals.
Those who gave hand to those soldiers in Iraq ( interpreters)are deserving the protection of the British Goverment, it would not be decent to turn your back to them while they are in middle of killers. I should congratulate the times on their victory .

Tayseer Abu Qurs, Kuwait, Kuwait

it is really what we expected from the british thanks a lot for every thing

frank, Berlin, Germany

This i shocking. I was in Iraq. Don't kid yourself that the interpreters are some kind of brave hero risking their lives for democracy and a better Iraq etc. They wanted money and they got it. Many of them were handsomelt paid for little work and more than a few were "playing for the other side". We have just opened the gates for more people to sponge from our welfare system

Degsy, aberdeen,

This i shocking. I was in Iraq. Don't kid yourself that the interpreters are some kind of brave hero risking their lives for democracy and a better Iraq etc. They wanted money and they got it. Many of them were handsomely paid for little work and more than a few were "playing for the other side". We have just opened the gates for more people to sponge from our welfare system

Degsy, aberdeen,

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!!!!Well done Britian. You finally gave hope to the hundreds of Iraqis that lended you a helping hand. I knew something was gonna happen soon, but not soon enough. I am so elated at this news, I am sooooo Glad. Although many good people lost their lives because they worked for the coalition forces, and because the govt didnt do anything for them sooner, but better late than never!!!

NIW, GreenZone-Baghdad,

Eugene, it is people like you who cause racial disharmony and xenophobia. People like you cause the nimby-like attitude in this country... lets all argue for the sake of it, look at the negatvies and never get anything done.... no wonder you sould like such a miserable bitter individual.

I bet you will be one of the first to say that immigrants dilute your culture... it seems you have no culture to dilute... never mind... life goes on.

Chantel, UK,

At last, some decency in all of this mire. Let's get them out of there as soon as possible before any more are killed.

David Jones, Loughborough, UK

What good news to start the day with - I'm so pleased that this decision was made and that the interpreters who did such vital work will be given appropriate support themselves.

To Eugene, who asked "Is anyone actually calculating the future racial and religious balance in this country?"

No, because it doesn't matter! I'm proud to be part of a nation made up of people of all races and religions - what a lot of added richness (good company, good food, new languages) is in my life because of it!

Gabrielle Bee, Oxford, UK

Maybe I don't understand things, but surely this matter should never have come up in the first place.
Aren't there enough Arabic speakers in the UK that the Forces had to engage local ones, knowing that in the end they would have the problem of having to resettle them.
Having made this tremendous blunder the government had no alternative other to take the right steps and accept them.

Ralph Phillips, Rishon Le Zion, Israel

Good News but why was this ever even an issue?

John Goh, Welwyn Garden City, UK

I am very glad for the soul of Britian that this decision has finally been made. Every Englishman will be able to look each other in the face again. This is the old England we were friends with.

Peter Gallagher, Brisbane, Australia

hey, that put an unexpected lift in my day - restored a bit of faith

Geoff, Sydney,

This victory has indeed made me proud. I, like many others, have been worried and frustrated when I first read this story. An American citizen now, living in Manhattan NY, and affected by 9/11, I was born in Australia and spent my first 30 years there. It just seemed so obvious that it was our responsibility.... for all the countries involved, to protect these individuals and their families. Congratulations.
Sarah, Manhattan NY

Sarah Bernkopf, Manhattan, New York

A few thousand interpreters plus wives and families, extended families, other relatives coming over later in accordance with British law, spouses imported over the next few generations - so what are we talking, another million muslims in the country by 2050?

Is anyone actually calculating the future racial and religious balance in this country?

What I'm starting to think about all the liberal extremists who, in pre-war generations did little more than write poetry and cry, but who have been allowed to dominate all spheres of influence in the hysterical anti-fascist climate of post-war Europe, is this: I think, unconsciously, they have some perverse psycho-sexual desire to be dominated, overpowered and - politically and culturally, at least - shafted.

Eugene, Chester , England

At long last an end to this shameful episode in our history which should never have cropped up in the first place. Surely it figures that there is a huge difference between frontline staff and personnel such as cooks, cleaners etc. able to work, discretely, out of sight. The Militias need not know the latter work for 'the enemy' whereas the nature of their work make the translators, guides and a few other professions and their families an awfully easy target.

Let's hope they will choose to settle in the UK and forgive us our earlier mistakes. They will, if they agree, prove themselves invaluable in taking on translating jobs either in this Country or other Arab speaking Nations.

Welcome to the U.K.

Lianne, Warminster, U.K.

Supporting those who stand and fight/talk with you in these kinds of Wars is key to winning.

JC Dugger, Denver, USA/CO