Latest news with #AfghanRelocations
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Government will 'robustly defend' any compensation claims from thousands of Afghans whose lives were put at risk by massive data breach
Thousands of Afghans included on a list of people trying to flee the Taliban are unlikely to receive compensation after their details were accidentally leaked. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Government would 'robustly defend' any legal action or bid for compensation, adding these were 'hypothetical claims'. It has also been reported that the MoD will not proactively offer compensation to those affected. The data breach, which saw details of 18,714 applicants for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme released in 2022, prompted an unprecedented gagging order amid fears the Taliban could target would-be refugees for reprisals. It also saw the establishment of a secret scheme, the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR), to bring some of those affected to the UK. But the MoD spokesman pointed to an independent review which found there is now little danger that appearing on the leaked spreadsheet would be enough to result in being targeted by the Taliban. Hundreds of data protection claims are expected to be lodged, with the High Court hearing earlier this week that a Manchester-based firm already had several hundred prospective clients. Previous Afghan data breaches led to the MoD compensating people whose details were leaked. Earlier this month, before the superinjunction preventing reporting of the 2022 leak was lifted, armed forces minister Luke Pollard announced £1.6 million in compensation for a separate incident involving the release of Afghan nationals' data. Mr Pollard said the MoD had agreed to pay up to £4,000 to each of the 265 people whose details were mistakenly copied into emails sent by the Government in September 2021. That breach also saw the Government fined £350,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). But the ICO has said it will take no further action in relation to the larger 2022 breach, with Information Commissioner John Edwards saying there was 'little we could add in this case' given the 'high degree of public scrutiny' the MoD was already facing. In total, the Government expects 6,900 people to be brought to the UK under the ARR scheme, with costs reaching £850 million. Along with the Afghan nationals, the breach saw details of more than 100 British officials compromised, including special forces and MI6 personnel. It comes as the Mail revealed that Taliban warlords are on a vengeful killing spree against hundreds of Afghans after the Government lost the top secret database. One man was shot by a gunman who stepped from an alley on Monday and fired four bullets at close range into his chest – one of three assassinations in the past seven days. The brother of the former interpreter (above) was beaten by the Taliban demanding to know where his brother was hiding and if he had worked for the UK Panic has been spreading since Tuesday when Afghans were officially informed their personal details had been lost in the UK's worst ever data blunder, putting 100,000 'at risk of death'. Thousands received 'notifications' from His Majesty's Government saying sorry, and adding: 'We understand this news may be concerning.' It is not known if the Taliban actually has the database, which includes names of Afghans who helped the UK , as well as members of the British intelligence community, it is understood. But one Afghan soldier, who fled to Britain for fear of retribution, believes his brother was gunned down in the street this week because the militant group was aware of his affiliation to the UK. He said: 'If or when the Taliban have this list, then killings will increase – and it will be Britain's fault. There will be many more executions like the one on Monday.' The Mail has seen a dossier of more than 300 murders that include those who worked with the UK and some who had applied for the UK scheme, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spies and special forces among more than 100 Britons whose details were included in Afghan data leak
Details of spies and special forces were included in a massive data leak that led to thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the UK. Information about more than 100 Britons was contained in the breach. Defence sources have said that details of MI6 spies, SAS and special forces personnel were included in the spreadsheet, after they had backed Afghans who had applied to be brought to the UK. It comes after the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), was released "in error" in February 2022 by a defence official. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) became aware of the breach in August 2023, when excerpts from a spreadsheet containing personal information were anonymously posted on a Facebook group. After a super-injunction - imposed in September 2023 that blocked coverage of the leak - was lifted on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey offered a "sincere apology" on behalf of the government. "This was a serious departmental error," he added. Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge also apologised on behalf of the former Conservative government. Between 80,000 and 100,000 people were affected by the breach. Judges said in June last year that they could be at risk of harassment, torture or death if the Taliban obtained their information. The MoD said the relocation costs alone, directly linked to the data breach, will be around £850m. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the latest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Spies and SAS personnel among 100-plus Britons included in Afghan data leak
The details of more than 100 Britons, including spies and special forces personnel, were included in a massive data leak that resulted in thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the UK. Defence sources have said that details of MI6 spies, SAS and special forces personnel were included in the spreadsheet, after they had endorsed Afghans who had applied to be brought to the UK after the Taliban takeover. The dataset, containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), was released 'in error' in February 2022 by a defence official. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) became aware of the breach more than a year later, when excerpts of the spreadsheet were anonymously posted in a Facebook group in August 2023. Other leaked details included the names and contact details of the Arap applicants and names of their family members. In a statement on Tuesday, after an unprecedented superinjunction was lifted by a high court judge, the defence secretary, John Healey, offered a 'sincere apology' on behalf of the government for the data breach. He later told the Commons the spreadsheet contained 'names and contact details of applicants and, in some instances, information relating to applicants' family members, and in a small number of cases the names of members of parliament, senior military officers and government officials were noted as supporting the application'. 'This was a serious departmental error,' he added. The shadow defence secretary, James Cartlidge, apologised on behalf of the former Conservative government, which was in power when the leak happened and when it was discovered more than a year later. Cartlidge later asked Healey about reports that someone other than the original person who leaked the data had been engaged in blackmail.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
The Afghans left behind... and terrified of ending up on a Taliban kill list
Terrified Afghans tonight accused the British military they served alongside of 'betrayal' as the implications of the data leak to them and their families became clear. One former frontline interpreter couldn't contain his anger as he summed up his shock and disgust, shouting down the line to the Mail: 'We risked our lives for the UK standing beside them day after day. Now they are risking our lives again.' Najeeb, 34, who has been approved for sanctuary under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) but is trapped hiding in northern Afghanistan away from his family, branded the data leak a 'betrayal' of personal details entrusted to the British military as part of his relocation application. 'It makes me feel sick,' he said. 'We should have been told as soon as this leak was discovered, not two years later. We should have been rescued earlier. Everyone is terrified. 'I have read reports that the Taliban has this list. I have been tortured by them before and feared I would die. The Taliban does not give second chances. If they know for sure I worked for the UK it could be the end.' He was one of dozens of Afghans to contact this newspaper's award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign expressing their fears and anger over the data blunder, revealed only on Tuesday after a near two-year super-injunction kept details under wraps. In the hours before it was lifted, the UK Government sent out urgent warnings to those who may have been compromised, urging them to take extra precautions as the Taliban learned of the debacle. Apologising twice to those who entrusted their personal details to the Ministry of Defence as part of their relocation applications, it warned them to be extra vigilant with phone calls, messages and social media. It urges the Afghans – many of whom risked their lives for Britain on the frontlines – not to tell others their personal details may have been leaked as it could make them more vulnerable as Taliban murders and punishment beatings continue. The warning was met with alarm by those still in hiding in Afghanistan as it also included an alert that the data of their families may also be compromised, although the Government stressed there is no evidence the Taliban has yet obtained it. For many of the thousands still waiting to see if their pleas for sanctuary are successful, it was the first they had heard of the leak. The warning told those potentially at risk: 'We sincerely apologise for this data incident and regret that on this occasion personal data was not safeguarded to the UK Government's standard. We understand that this news may be concerning.' Najeeb's dismay was echoed by fellow translator Wahid, 42, who is hiding with his wife and four children and has waited more than three years to learn if he will be granted relocation. 'This is a disgraceful mistake that will delight the Taliban and makes us all more vulnerable. They will see finding us as a new challenge,' he said. Wahid, who was tortured by the Taliban with electric probes, continued: 'This information includes the details of my family, including my father's name. It increases the chances we will be murdered if we are found and I would appeal to those responsible to take urgent steps to approve more cases and end this hell of uncertainty. 'The Taliban has come for me before and we live in an environment where every noise, every step, every shadow outside could be a threat. It is an awful way to live.' Like Najeeb, he had woken to an email from the MoD on Wednesday warning they could have been part of the leak and provided with a website link to check. To their horror, both men say they received messages back saying: 'Our records indicate that personal data from the reference number you supplied is likely to have been affected by the data leak.' For former interpreter Mashal, 38 – also a Taliban torture victim who was relocated to the UK – the leak, he fears, has put his family at greater risk. His family home has been repeatedly raided by the Taliban, his brother beaten and accused of 'sharing the blood of an infidel spy' (Mashal) and his mother violently questioned. Mashal, who translated for then Prime Minister Gordon Brown during a visit to Kabul, said: 'The data leak is a big mistake that is risking my family's lives. It makes everything more dangerous and it is up to the British to mend what they have broken,' he said. The Taliban is using Chinese-developed eavesdropping tech to monitor phone calls while there has been a crackdown on taking pictures on mobiles.
Sky News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Afghan data breach timeline: The fallout behind the scenes
The details of a massive data breach by the British military over Afghan nationals have come out this week. But behind the scenes, the fallout has been ongoing for years. It's been three years since an unnamed official accidentally shared emails with the names and other details of 18,714 Afghan nationals who were applying for a British government relocation scheme in 2022. The scheme was to provide asylum for people who had worked with the UK armed forces in the war against the Taliban between 2001 and 2021. The blunder was only made public on Tuesday after a super-injunction blocking the media from reporting on the breach was removed. It's only now that the timeline of the data breach, a subsequent secret government scheme and the super-injunction can all be revealed. Here's what the public couldn't know until now: April 2021 The Initial scheme to relocate Afghans who helped British military during the war is launched. It was called the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). February 2022 The unnamed British official accidentally emails details of 18,714 Afghan nationals who applied to be relocated to the UK outside of a secure government system. He sends the email in an attempt to verify information, believing the dataset to only contain around 150 rows of information, but it actually contains around 33,000. 14 August 2023 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) discovers the leak after seeing details of the emails had been posted by a Facebook user. UK officials send around 1,800 ARAP applicants in Pakistan a warning via WhatsApp to say their data may have been breached. 15 August 2023 James Heappey, then armed forces minister, is warned by a civilian volunteer who assists ARAP applicants that the breach may have put those on the list and their families in grave danger. The volunteer says: "The Taliban may well now have a 33,000-long kill list - essentially provided to them by the UK government. "If any of these families are murdered, the government will be liable." 25 August 2023 Then defence secretary Ben Wallace applies for a court order after the MoD gets two inquiries about the breach from journalists. 1 September 2023 High Court grants a super-injunction until a hearing scheduled for 1 December, preventing the reporting of the breach, as the MoD said the government needed four months to "do everything it reasonably can to help those who might have been put at further risk". 23 November 2023 High Court judge Mr Justice Chamberlain gives private judgment saying the super-injunction is "is likely to give rise to understandable suspicion that the court's processes are being used for the purposes of censorship". But he continues it for four more weeks, as the MoD has reiterated that the threat to those in the dataset is "grave". 18 December 2023 MoD lawyers say the risk to life due to the breach is "immensely serious". Mr Justice Chamberlain extends the super-injunction until February 2024. 19 December 2024 The Domestic and Economic Affairs committee meets and says that a new route of settlement in the UK should be offered to some individuals who were ineligible for ARAP. At this time, it is agreed to be a targeted cohort of around 200 people and their dependents at the highest risk following the breach, and it is called the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR). The ARR is also covered by the super-injunction. 15 February 2024 Mr Justice Chamberlain continues the super-injunction, finding a "real possibility that it is serving to protect" some of those identified on the dataset. But he adds: "What is clear is that the government has decided to offer help to only a very small proportion of those whose lives have been endangered by the data incident and that the decisions in this regard are being taken without any opportunity for scrutiny through the media or in Parliament." 21 May 2024 Mr Justice Chamberlain rules the super-injunction should be lifted in 21 days, saying there is a "significant possibility" the Taliban already know about the dataset and that it is "fundamentally objectionable" to keep it a secret. 25-26 June 2024 The MoD challenges the decision in the Court of Appeal, which rules that the super-injunction should continue for the safety of those affected by the breach. In a written ruling, judges Sir Geoffrey Vos, Lord Justice Singh and Lord Justice Warby say: "As the number of family members involved is several times the number of affected people, the total numbers of people who would be exposed to a risk of death or serious harm if the Taliban obtained the data is between 80,000 and 100,000." 4 July 2024 Labour wins the general election, and Sir Keir Starmer's government inherits the scheme. It keeps the super-injunction in place. 2 February 2025 A review into the data incident response reveals that the ARR's plans would mean relocating more Afghan nationals than the original scheme, and would end up costing up to £7bn. It recommends that the defence secretary order an independent review into the breach and subsequent scheme. 19 May 2025 The High Court is told by a Manchester-based law firm that it has more than 600 potential clients who may sue the government under data protection laws. 4 July 2025 After an independent review by retired civil servant Paul Rimmer, the government tells the High Court that the super-injunction "should no longer continue". It comes after the review found the breach was "unlikely to profoundly change the existing risk profile" of those named and that the government possibly "inadvertently added more value to the dataset" by seeking the unprecedented super-injunction. 15 July 2025 Mr Justice Chamberlain lifts the super-injunction, making the breach and scheme reportable for the first time. It is revealed that nearly 7,000 Afghan nationals either have been or are being relocated to the UK as part of the breach reaction scheme, with the MoD saying it will cost around £850m. It said the internal government document from February which said the cost could rise to £7bn was outdated because the government had cut the number of Afghans it would be relocating. What happens now? Some 5,400 Afghans who have already received invitation letters will be flown to the UK in the coming weeks. This will bring the total number of Afghans affected by the breach being relocated to the UK to 23,900. The rest of the affected Afghans will be left behind, The Times reported. Around 1,000 Afghans on the leaked list are preparing to sue the MoD, demanding at least £50,000 each, in a joint action led by Barings Law. Adnan Malik, head of data protection at Barings Law, said: "This is an incredibly serious data breach, which the Ministry of Defence has repeatedly tried to hide from the British public." Despite the government's internal review playing down the risks caused by the data breach, Mr Malik said the claimants "continue to live with the fear of reprisal against them and their families". The Telegraph has reported that a Whitehall briefing note circulated on 4 July warned that the MoD would need to work with the government to prepare to "mitigate any risk of public disorder following the discharge of the injunction".
