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The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
MoD braced for £1billion compensation bill after 100k lives put at risk of Taliban death squads by Afghan leak scandal
DEFENCE chiefs are braced for a £1billion compensation bill over a data breach which revealed Afghans who supported UK forces. Around 100,000 were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones' were revealed in 2022 — with the blunder then 'covered up' by a UK gagging order. Advertisement 7 Evacuation of Afghans in 2021 after the Taliban took control - ahead of the Conservative Government's 2023 secret airlift, codenamed Operation Rubific Credit: Getty 7 The Taliban has stated it is actively hunting those revealed on the leaked list Credit: AP 7 Around 100,000 Afghans were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones' were revealed in 2022 Thousands could sue the MoD after the leak was made public this week. Almost 900 Afghans on the 'kill list' email leak are ready to sue — with lawyers saying thousands more are poised to join them. Legal sources claimed victims whose lives were endangered could be entitled 'to five-figure payouts'. Adnan Malik, at Manchester firm Barings Law, which is representing nearly 900, said: 'The victims have been exposed to not just financial harm, but the real threat of violence and death. Advertisement READ MORE ON AFGHAN DATA LEAK In some cases, these threats have been tragically carried out. Monies claimed will vary substantially between claimants, we would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected.' That could see the overall compensation bill pass £1billion. The February 2022 leak was caused by a Special Forces soldier who accidentally shared a list of 18,714 people who had applied to flee to Britain in the wake of the Advertisement Most read in The Sun The list included their last-known locations, how they served British forces, and in some instances who supported their claims — including MPs, Special Forces and spies. The leak, which included details of a 'secret route' for some of those affected to come to the UK, was only discovered when excerpts were put on Facebook in August 2023. Taliban warns thousands of Afghans secretly airlifted to UK 'we will HUNT you down' The next month, the Tory government used a superinjunction to stop journalists reporting the breach. It was extended until being lifted by a High Court judge this Tuesday. A defence source said yesterday: 'People on that list had fought with British forces in Afghanistan. Advertisement 'They fought against the Taliban. First of all we let the Taliban take over, and then when these people came to us for help we put their lives in even more danger.' The potential huge bill emerged as Nigel Farage claimed 'convicted sex offenders' are among the The Reform UK leader said the rescue of almost 20,000 Afghans is a risk to women's safety — triggering a row with Labour and the Tories. Defence Secretary John Healey insisted everyone had been checked 'carefully' for any criminal records. And he said if Mr Farage had any hard evidence, he should report it to police. Advertisement Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride also said Mr Farage should provide evidence for his claims. PM Sir Keir Starmer said the previous Tory government had serious questions to answer over the leak. Hunting people down Sir Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary at the time, insisted there was not a cover-up and the gagging order was to protect at-risk Afghans, and he made 'no apology' for doing so. Sir Ben also said he applied for a four-month injunction and did not know why it was converted into a superinjunction in September 2023, when Grant Shapps had taken over as Defence Secretary. Advertisement 7 The list contained the details of 20,000 Afghans whose country had been taken over by the Taliban Credit: Alamy 7 The leaked list also included the names of UK sponsors and MI6 spies who could have become targets of the Taliban in Afghanistan Credit: Getty Ex-Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Shapps had questions to answer. Mr Shapps has yet to comment. Meanwhile, Zia Yusuf, head of Reform's Department of Government Efficiency, has launched a petition calling for an independent, judge-led inquiry. Advertisement He said: 'We want to know who made these decisions.' Lawyers insisted the injunction was necessary to protect the lives of people who were named and It included hundreds of Afghan Special Forces who had served in units known as the Triples, alongside Britain's SAS and SBS. The Triples conducted thousands of night raids against senior Taliban leaders and counter-narcotics operations. Advertisement Last night, Taliban sources claimed they have had the list for years — and A Taliban official said: 'We got the list from the internet during the first days when it was leaked. 'A special unit has been launched to find them and make sure they do not work with Britain. We've been calling and visiting their family members to track them down.' 7 The potential huge bill emerged as Nigel Farage claimed 'convicted sex offenders' are among the Afghans secretly airlifted into the UK Credit: PA Advertisement 7 Defence Secretary John Healey insisted everyone had been checked 'carefully' for any criminal records Credit: PA In 2023, the Government launched a secret airlift, codenamed Operation Rubific, to smuggle around 4,500 people on the list to Britain. They are among 34,000 Afghans who have been offered new lives in Britain since the Taliban takeover. That number is expected to rise to 43,000 and the Government predicts the total cost will be £7billion. An MoD spokesman yesterday insisted a £1billion compensation bill was 'pure speculation'. Advertisement He said: 'The Government inherited a deeply complex situation and since taking office, have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced. 'We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims and any we do get, we will fight them hard.' MINISTERS' BLAME GAME FORMER Tory ministers have turned on each other as a blame game erupted over the Afghan data leak. Former PM Liz Truss accused She said she was 'shocked by the secrecy' of And she demanded those responsible in governments and the bureaucracy needed to be held to account. But Sir Ben hit back by claiming Ms Truss — Foreign Secretary under Boris Johnson in February 2022 — approved the plan in office. He replied to her X post: 'Oh dear Liz. Not quite. You were part of the Cabinet that approved the relocation of Afghans and the wider Home Office refugee scheme.' He also defended his actions, writing: 'I make no apology for applying to the court for an injunction at the time. Imagine if the Taliban had been alerted to the existence of this list.' Sir Keir Starmer said both former ministers had 'serious questions to answer' about the airlift that may ultimately cost an estimated £7billion. Ex-Tory MP And Reform UK's Zia Yusuf has called for a judge-led inquiry into the operation.
The Star
01-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Afghanistan welcomes upgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan
This handout photograph taken on April 19, 2025, and released by Afghan interim government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows its Acting MInister of Foreign Affairs Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi (left) shaking hands with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar upon his arrival for a bilateral meeting in Kabul. HANDOUT/AFGHAN INTERIM GOVERNMENT'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS via AFP KABUL: Afghanistan has welcomed the decision to upgrade diplomatic relations with Pakistan, where the Taliban government's foreign minister is due to travel in the coming days, his office said on Saturday (May 31). The move signals easing tensions between the neighbouring countries, as relations between the Taliban authorities and Pakistan - already rocky - have cooled in recent months, fuelled by security concerns and a campaign by Islamabad to expel tens of thousands of Afghans. Pakistan's top diplomat on Friday said the charge d'affaires stationed in Kabul would be elevated to the rank of ambassador, with Kabul later announcing its representative in Islamabad would also be upgraded. "This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan & Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains," the Aghan foreign ministry said on X. Kabul's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan "in the coming days", ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP. Muttaqi met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in May in Beijing as part of a trilateral meeting with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Wang afterwards announced Kabul and Islamabad's intention to exchange ambassadors and expressed Beijing's willingness "to continue to assist with improving Afghanistan-Pakistan ties". Dar hailed the "positive trajectory" of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations on Friday, saying the upgrading of their representatives would "promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries". Only a handful of countries - including China - have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors since their return to power in 2021, with no country yet formally recognising the administration. Russia last month said it would also accredit a Taliban government ambassador, days after removing the group's "terrorist" designation. - AFP
