The Afghan data breach: What you need to knowpublished at 11:33 British Summer Time
11:33 BST
Here’s a bit more on the data breach we mentioned in our last post, after it was discovered that thousands of Afghans have quietly been relocated to the UK since the Taliban seized power of their country.
The leak: The scheme was prompted by a security leak in 2022, where a British official inadvertently leaked the data of almost 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
The injunction: The reason we’re only hearing about this now is because the government first heard about the leak in 2023, when some details were posted on Facebook, and subsequently obtained a super-injunction stopping it from becoming public. On Tuesday, the order was lifted.
The scheme: So far, 4,500 Afghans have arrived in the UK, with more expected. It’s being closed down, has cost £400m, and is expected to cost a further £400-450m. The Ministry of Defence believes 600 Afghan soldiers included in the leak, plus 1,800 of their family members, are still in Afghanistan.
The response: Defence Secretary John Healey has offered a “sincere apology” to those whose details had been included in the leak. Former defence secretary Ben Wallace has said he makes “no apology” for stopping the reporting of the leak.
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
This file photo from August 2021 shows UK and Turkish coalition forces, and the US Marines, assisting a child during the withdrawal of Nato troops from Afghanistan