Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – A covert £850 million UK government operation quietly evacuated 4,500 Afghans linked to Britain, with plans to bring 2,400 more, after a serious data breach exposed the identities of nearly 19,000 vulnerable individuals and their families. The leaked spreadsheet, mistakenly emailed inside Afghanistan in 2022, revealed detailed information about Afghans who had worked with or supported British forces during the 20-year conflict and sought refuge after the Taliban regained control in 2021.
The breach placed an estimated 100,000 people at risk, potentially exposing them to Taliban reprisals. However, the government kept the incident secret for more than a year under a High Court superinjunction, which was lifted only today, revealing the scale and gravity of the mistake.
Defence Secretary John Healey publicly apologized in Parliament, calling the leak a “serious departmental error.” He confirmed the individual responsible is no longer in their post but declined to disclose any disciplinary measures taken or whether any targeted attacks had occurred as a direct result. Officials emphasized the difficulty in assessing the full impact but stressed that the government acted swiftly to mitigate harm through the secret Afghan Relocation Route (ARR) program.
The ARR, launched in 2023, has cost hundreds of millions of pounds and involves meticulously vetting and safely relocating Afghans who served alongside British troops—as interpreters, aid workers, and civilian contractors—along with their families. Unlike typical asylum seekers, those evacuated through ARR arrive under a “safe and legal route” and receive nine months’ accommodation support while integrating into local communities.
The revelation has reignited debate over the UK’s handling of its wartime allies, following widespread criticism of the initial 2021 evacuation, which the Foreign Affairs Committee described as a “disaster” and “betrayal.” Many Afghans affected only became aware of the data leak after the injunction was lifted, fueling concerns about transparency and government accountability.
As the UK continues to bring more vulnerable Afghans to safety, calls grow louder for a full inquiry into how such a critical security failure occurred and what measures are being taken to prevent future breaches. This episode stands as a stark reminder of the risks faced by those who stood with Britain in Afghanistan and the urgent need to honor commitments to protect them.
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