SS v The Secretary of State for the Home Department

Facts

The appellant, SS, is a national of Afghanistan. He arrived in the UK on 10 September 2023 and claimed asylum the same day. His screening interview took place on 15 September 2023. In it he was recorded as saying that he had spent two years as a local police officer and two months in the army, holding the rank of sergeant, before leaving because of Taliban threats. His account later changed. He said he had never been a police officer and had held no rank. After he started army training, the Taliban threatened him, so he left training and moved to Kabul. He stayed there until January 2022 and then fled. He also said the Taliban had taken his younger brother. The Secretary of State refused the claim on 2 December 2024. She did not accept that his Tazkira and photographs in uniform proved army service. She relied on the changes between his interviews and on inconsistencies about his training and rank, doubted that he would be targeted, and criticised him for not claiming asylum in Italy. The appellant appealed. In April 2026 he served further documents: an arrest warrant, summonses for himself and his father, a bank card and a military ID. He said the documents showed the Taliban were still looking for him in 2025. The Secretary of State accepted that the appeal turned on credibility alone. The appeal was heard face to face at Hatton Cross.