'We owe them our lives': Military and politicians give update on Afghan resettlement at Shropshire barracks

But in the meantime they told residents at a packed meeting that they were working hard to teach the 280 Afghans currently on the base at Nesscliffe the cultural differences between their homeland and the UK.

The meeting on Tuesday at Nesscliffe Village Hall heard examples of some of the issues that had been causing concern to residents in Pentre, Nesscliffe and Wilcott.

These have included 'large groups of men' walking around at night, people picking flowers from gardens, wandering into homes, and dropping litter.

Major Gerry Gannon, who is the officer in charge of the scheme at Nesscliffe and other sites including Loughborough and in Staffordshire, told the group that he and his colleague Colour Sgt Douglas Bergh owe Afghans their lives.

"We owe them a debt of gratitude," he said. "We were both injured on duty in Afghanistan and without them we would not be here."

He said that people who worked with the British Forces in the country were at risk from the Taliban rulers in Kabul.

"They do not just kill one person, they will kill the whole family. The threat to some of these people is very real.

"They have had all wealth taken off them by the Taliban just for being decent human beings. They are definitely worthy of being here.

"We are their friends. They assisted us, we assist them."

The base could take up to 350 people

He later explained that the most at risk people were moved on very quickly to resettle in the UK. The base could take up to 350 people, the meeting was told.

The meeting was told that there is a constant churn of people at the site and with each new intake they have to be told the differences in culture between their homeland and the UK.

But none of the Afghans on the base are settled permanently in Shropshire, the meeting was told.

They are taught English and many of them, especially from Kabul, are highly educated with many speaking and writing English perfectly.

"All they want is a bit of dignity, to know where they will be housed, to work and to pay their taxes," Major Gannon said.

The hall, which was standing room only, was told that purdah during the election period had stopped them from being able to communicate with the community.

This had lead to 'misinformation' spreading, including an online rumour that crime had been increasing. Crime was inaccurately being blamed on the Afghan citizens.

But PC Carl Williamson told the meeting that crime is not rising in the area.

"Crime has reduced year on year," he said.

"If anything crime is reducing in Nesscliffe."

'Misinformation'

There was a smattering of disbelief in the audience at that assertion but Councillor Ed Potter said the source of 'misinformation' on crime was a website, which he did not name.

Councillor Potter had convened the meeting and compiled a list of 10 questions from more than 100 submitted to him.

He said: "We think that the website was pulling data in from the whole of west Shrewsbury" adding that it could be 'discounted' as 'not being an accurate source of information."

Major Gannon and his team will be leaving Nesscliffe in a week's time after a three month stint but he told the gathering that the new people taking over would be running the base under a set of newly developed policies.

No date has yet been put on when the base will become a training facility again although Major Gannon mentioned between 12 and 18 months.

The Afghans here under the Government's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) have an "automatic and indefinite leave to remain" and to apply for citizenship in the future.

"We want to bring it online as an Army community but it cannot be done until this operation finishes," he said.

The meeting was told that there had been instances where "children had been hit by vehicles" so they had decided to open an entrance at Wilcott.

Colour Sgt Bergh, who is the base commander, told the meeting that having children going on to 30mph residential streets was much safer than having them leaving the base onto 60mph roads.

Some 230 of the Afghans on the base are children, the meeting was told, because Afghans have very large families.

"The safest option was to open the side gate, it reduces my risk inmeasurably and we have not no child hit off a bike since it was opened," he said.

The issue of the use of GP surgeries was also raised. But members of the public were told that health services are brought into the base and there is no impact on the surgery at Knockin.

Donations welcome

New Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley told the meeting that she is in touch with ministers over how long the site would be a part of the operation.

Major Gannon said they intended to have it back as a training base so they could cause "lots of banging noises to keep you awake at night."

Responding to a question about the support that the local community could give, Amanda Jones of Shropshire Supports Refugees, said they would welcome donations.

With winter coming on, there is a need for warm coats as they arrive in the UK with thin clothes designed for the scorching heat and nothing more than flip flops on their feet, she said.

"All refugees have been through hell on earth," she said.

"But we have no funding to do anything on the Army base at the moment. We are a coordinating body.

"Refugees haven't had a terrible impact on Shropshire but they have been enriching people's lives over the years."

The meeting was told that the Afghans in Shropshire have already contributed to life in the county, including in playing cricket for Shrewsbury and the county.

Ending the meeting, Councillor Potter praised the audience for its attitude.

His warnings of suspending proceedings if things got out of hand were not needed.

"A councillor in Oswestry had told people that this meeting would be an utter disaster," he said.

"They had underestimated what a great community we have here."

It ended with applause and pledges from the military to stay in touch with the community at its monthly parish council meetings.

And according to one man at least he was pleased that at last they were being told what was going on.

"I don't understand why it was covered by purdah at all, this was not a political issue," he said.