KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Thousands of Afghans were quietly moved to the United Kingdom under a secret government program set up after a massive data breach exposed the personal details of thousands of people who had applied for resettlement following the Taliban takeover.
The breach, which occurred in February 2022, involved the names and contact details of nearly 19,000 applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, according to a BBC report. British authorities only discovered the leak in August 2023 when some of the information appeared on Facebook.
To address the risk to those affected, the UK government launched a classified resettlement initiative called the Afghan Relocation Route nine months later. So far, 4,500 Afghans have been relocated under the program, which has cost £400 million and is expected to require an additional £400–450 million. Relocation offers already extended to those still in Afghanistan will be honored, although the scheme is now being wound down.
The existence of the leak and the secret relocation plan was kept from the public under a sweeping court order known as a super-injunction, which prevented media from reporting on the breach or even acknowledging the injunction itself. On Tuesday, the High Court lifted the order, revealing details for the first time.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey apologized in Parliament, describing the leak as a “serious departmental error” caused by an unnamed Ministry of Defence official who mistakenly emailed a spreadsheet outside secure systems. The information included names of former Afghan soldiers, their families, senior officials, and MPs. Healey admitted the breach was one of several data losses during the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021.
The Ministry of Defence estimates that around 600 Afghan soldiers and 1,800 family members named in the leak remain in Afghanistan. While a review concluded it was “highly unlikely” anyone had been targeted solely because of the breach, it acknowledged the possibility that Taliban members saw parts of the leaked data online.
Emails have now been sent to affected individuals warning them to take precautions, such as securing their online accounts and avoiding contact from unknown sources.
The Afghan evacuation in 2021 brought more than 36,000 people to the UK, but the operation has faced repeated criticism. A 2022 parliamentary report labeled it a “disaster” and a “betrayal.” The latest disclosure adds to that scrutiny, with lawyers representing ARAP applicants calling the leak a “catastrophic failure.”