LONDON, Oct 6: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to announce that Iraqi interpreters working for the British army will be given the opportunity of asylum here, newspapers reported on Saturday.

The offer to interpreters and their families, who face threats because of their work with the British, will apply to those who have worked with them for a year.

Brown is due to make a statement on Iraq to lawmakers in the House of Commons Monday and is expected to confirm the move.

“The prime minister is convinced this is the right thing to do,” an unnamed senior diplomatic source said.

“We owe these brave men and their families a huge debt. They should be treated appropriately. It is our duty.” The Home Office has said that up to 15,000 Iraqis could claim assistance.—AFP