Secret Scheme Unveiled: Britain’s Plan to Rescue Afghans After Data Leak

LONDON (Reuters) — Britain established a secret scheme to relocate thousands of Afghans to the UK after a severe data breach exposed their personal information, putting them at risk of Taliban retaliation following the group’s return to power.

Concerns that individuals could be targeted by the Taliban prompted the previous Conservative government to create the relocation program. The initiative, involving thousands of people, is estimated to cost the government approximately 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion).

The Ministry of Defense’s leak in early 2022, which led to data being published on Facebook the following year, was subject to a superinjunction preventing media reporting. This gag order was lifted on Tuesday by a court.

British Defense Minister John Healey apologized for the leak, which included sensitive information about members of parliament and senior military officers who supported applications to help Afghan soldiers who worked with British forces, and their families, relocate to the UK.

\”This serious data incident should never have happened,\” Healey told lawmakers in the House of Commons. \”While it occurred three years ago under the previous administration, I offer a sincere apology to all whose data was compromised.\”

The incident ranks among the worst security breaches in modern British history due to its substantial cost and the risks posed to thousands of Afghans, many of whom fought alongside British forces until their chaotic withdrawal in 2021.

Healey reported that about 4,500 Afghans and their family members have been relocated or are en route to Britain under the previously secret scheme.

However, he added that no further asylum offers would be extended to Afghans due to the data leak, citing a government review that found little evidence of Taliban intent to seek retribution against former officials.

The review, summarized in a report released Tuesday, stated that over 16,000 individuals affected by the breach had been relocated to the UK as of May this year, though some were part of existing relocation programs.

News of the leak comes at a time when Britain’s public finances are strained and the right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party is leading in opinion polls.

The government now faces lawsuits from those affected by the breach, potentially increasing the overall cost of the incident.

Sean Humber, a lawyer at Leigh Day who has represented Afghan citizens affected by previous data breaches, stated that those impacted are likely to have strong claims for substantial compensation due to the anxiety and distress caused by the leak.

British forces were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on the US, playing a major role in combat operations there until 2014.

In early 2022, a spreadsheet containing details of Afghans who had worked for the British government prior to the Taliban’s 2021 takeover and had applied for relocation to Britain was mistakenly emailed to someone outside government systems.

The superinjunction was initially granted in 2023 after the Ministry of Defense, under the former Conservative government, argued that public disclosure of the breach could expose individuals to the risk of extrajudicial killings or serious violence by the Taliban.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s center-left government, elected last July, initiated a review of the injunction, the breach, and the relocation scheme.