Latest news with #British military
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK secretly resettled thousands of Afghans after major data leak raised safety fears
Thousands of Afghans have been secretly relocated to the UK after a data leak by the British military revealed their identities and raised fears that they could be targeted by the Taliban. A dataset containing the details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was released in error in 2022, and parts of it were later published online, British Defence Secretary John Healey said on Tuesday. That prompted the previous Conservative government to establish a secret programme to resettle the Afghans — many of whom worked with British forces — and their families. The Afghanistan Response Route, set up in April 2024, was made public on Tuesday after the UK's current Labour government lifted a legal ruling known as a superinjunction that had been obtained by the former government in order to keep the scheme secret. About 4,500 people — 900 applicants and approximately 3,600 family members — have been brought to the UK under the programme, and about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the time it closes, at a total cost of £850 million (€979 million). However, the ultimate cost of the incident is expected to be higher as the British government is also facing litigation from people affected by the breach. Healey offered a "sincere apology" for the data breach in a statement to lawmakers in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, and said that he had felt "deeply concerned about the lack of transparency" around the breach. "No government wishes to withhold information from the British public, from parliamentarians or the press in this manner," he said. Related Taliban leader declares Western laws unnecessary in Afghanistan British couple arrested in Afghanistan to be released 'as soon as possible,' Taliban says 'Incredibly serious data breach' The blunder by an unnamed official at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) was a "serious departmental error" and a result of a spreadsheet being emailed "outside of authorised government systems" in early 2022, according to Healey. The spreadsheet contained the details of 18,714 Afghan nationals who had been trying to apply to a British government scheme to support those who helped or worked with UK forces in Afghanistan that were fighting the Taliban between 2001 and 2021. The MoD only became aware of the breach in August 2023, after the excerpts of the database posted on Facebook, according to British media reports. Barings Law, a law firm that is representing hundreds of the victims, accused the government of trying to conceal the truth from the public. "This is an incredibly serious data breach, which the Ministry of Defence has repeatedly tried to hide from the British public," said Adnan Malik, head of data protection at the firm. "It involved the loss of personal and identifying information about Afghan nationals who have helped British forces to defeat terrorism and support security and stability in the region." Related Tens of thousands of Afghans return from Pakistan after deadline Australian whistleblower David McBride loses appeal over Afghan war crimes leak About 36,000 Afghans in total have been relocated to the UK under various resettlement routes since the fall of Kabul in August 2021, according to the ministry of defence. In the summer of 2021, the US decided to lead a withdrawal of western forces — including British troops — from Afghanistan, which allowed the Taliban to seize power. That left tens of thousands of people who had helped the UK and other nations during 20 years of western military presence in the nation at risk of retribution from the Taliban.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Afghans left behind live in fear of 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 [punished] 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 [punished] 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 [punished] 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. Many Afghans now tape over their camera so they cannot take pictures.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
How did the UK leak information about thousands of Afghans?
The British government has secretly resettled thousands of Afghans in the United Kingdom for fear they might be targeted by the Taliban after their personal details were leaked, Defence Secretary John Healey revealed on Tuesday. Details about the accidental data breach by a British soldier and the secret relocation programme for Afghans were made public after a rare court order known as a 'superinjuction', which barred the media from even disclosing its existence, was lifted on Tuesday. Here is what we know about what happened and how the government responded: Whose data was leaked and how did it happen? A spreadsheet containing the personal information of about 18,700 Afghans and their relatives – a total of about 33,000 people – was accidentally forwarded to the wrong recipients by email in February 2022, Healey told lawmakers in the House of Commons. These were people who had applied for relocation to the UK between August 2021 and January 7, 2022. That was the six-month period following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan after the US and allied forces withdrew from the country. Most had worked as translators, assistants or in other capacities for the British military in Afghanistan. They had applied for the UK's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, which, like its predecessor, the Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS), had been set up for Afghans who had worked for the British forces. The EGS was originally established in 2013 following a long campaign by activists and media in support of people who had assisted the British military in Afghanistan and who were considered likely to face reprisals from the Taliban. The British soldier at the centre of the leak, who had been tasked with verifying applications for relocation, is understood to have mistakenly believed the database contained the names of 150 applicants, when it actually contained personal information linked to some 18,714 people. The soldier was under the command of General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, who was director of special forces at the time and now heads the British Navy. His name had also been suppressed by the court order until this week. The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) became aware of the leak when someone else posted parts of the data on Facebook on August 14, 2023. The Facebook post was first spotted by an activist who was assisting Afghans who had worked with UK forces. The activist contacted the MoD, saying: 'The Taliban may now have a 33,000-long kill list – essentially provided to them by the British government. If any of these families are murdered, the government will be liable,' The Guardian newspaper reported. How did the government respond to the leak? The MoD told Facebook to take down the post with the leaked information, citing security threats from the Taliban. It also warned some 1,800 ARAP applicants who had fled to Pakistan that they or their families could be in danger. The UK government, led by former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, then sought a court order barring any media disclosure of the data breach. On September 1, 2023, a High Court judge in London issued a 'superinjunction', which not only prohibits the disclosure of any details but also forbids revealing that the order exists at all. That superinjunction was lifted on Tuesday following a campaign led by The Times newspaper in London. In April 2024, the government created the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) to support Afghans who were not eligible for ARAP but were considered at high risk of reprisals from the Taliban as a result of the data leak. This scheme, which was kept secret, has now been closed, Healey told the House of Commons. However, he added that hundreds of invitations were issued to Afghans and their families under the scheme and these invitations 'will be honoured'. The government also launched the secret Operation Rubific to evacuate those Afghans deemed to be at risk directly to the UK. How many Afghans have been relocated to the UK under the secret scheme? As a direct result of the leak, the government says 900 people and about 3,000 relatives have already been flown to the UK under the secret relocation scheme and put up in hotels or military bases. In total, about 24,000 Afghans affected by the breach have either been brought to the UK already or will be in the near future, according to UK media reports. Through broader resettlement schemes, 35,245 Afghans have so far been relocated to the UK, official data suggests. Why is this information being disclosed now? The court order barring the details about the leak from being disclosed was lifted at noon (11:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Following several private hearings, a High Court judge ruled in May that the injunction should be lifted, citing, among other reasons, the inability of the public or parliament to scrutinise the government's decisions. British news outlet The Times reported it had spearheaded the two-year legal battle which resulted in the injunction being lifted. That decision was, however, overturned by the Court of Appeal in July 2024, due to concerns about the potential risks to individuals whose information had been leaked. Then came the 'Rimmer review'. Healey, a member of current Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ruling Labour party, said he was briefed about the leak when it happened as he was serving as shadow defence secretary at the time. However, he added that other cabinet members were only informed about the leak when Starmer's party was elected to power in the general election of July 2024. 'As Parliamentarians – and as Government Ministers – it has been deeply uncomfortable to be constrained in reporting to this House. And I am grateful today to be able to disclose the details to Parliament,' Healey said on Tuesday. Healey said that at the beginning of this year, he commissioned former senior civil servant and former Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence Paul Rimmer to conduct an independent review. Quoting the 'Rimmer review' in Parliament on Tuesday, Healey said that four years since the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan, 'there is little evidence of intent by the Taleban [sic] to conduct a campaign of retribution against former officials.' He added that the information the Taliban inherited from the former Afghan government would have already allowed them to target individuals if they had wished. Therefore, Rimmer concluded it was 'highly unlikely' that someone's information being on the leaked spreadsheet would be a key piece of information enabling or prompting the Taliban to take action. 'However, Rimmer is clear – he stresses the uncertainty in any judgements … and he does not rule out any risk,' Healey said. How safe are the people named in the leak now? The Times reported that after the superinjunction had been lifted, a new temporary court order was issued, barring the media from publishing specific sensitive details about what exactly was in the database. The Times said the government cited reasons of confidentiality and national security, arguing that the leaked list still poses a threat to the safety of the Afghans. In a webpage published on Tuesday, the MoD states: 'At present, there is no evidence to suggest that the spreadsheet has been seen or used by others who might seek to exploit the information; however, the UK Government cannot rule out that possibility.' It now advises those who applied for the ARAP or EGS programmes before January 7, 2022, to exercise caution, avoid phone calls or messages from unknown numbers, limit their social media profiles and use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) where possible. UK-based media outlets have reported that a law firm is suing the MoD on behalf of at least 1,000 Afghans affected by the data leak. How much has the leak cost the UK government? Healey said on Tuesday that it had already cost 400 million pounds ($540m) to bring an initial 900 Afghans and their 3,600 family members to the UK under the ARR. However, this does not account for the expenditures by other government schemes to relocate Afghans to the UK. Healey estimated that the total cost of relocating Afghans to the UK was between 5.5 billion and 6 billion pounds ($7.4bn to $8bn). Different figures for how much the leak cost the UK have emerged. An unnamed government official told Reuters that the leak cost the UK about 2 billion pounds ($2.7bn). Other outlets have reported that ARR is expected to cost the UK government a total of 850 million pounds ($1.1bn).
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- 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.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Betrayed' Afghan interpreter says family 'waiting for death' under Taliban after UK military data breach
An Afghan interpreter who worked with the British military has told Sky News he feels "betrayed by the British government" after a massive data breach saw his personal details revealed. Ali, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, had long suspected his details had been shared with the Taliban - but found out just yesterday that he was a victim of three years ago. He is now even more fearful for the lives of family members still in , who are already in hiding from the Taliban. Ali worked alongside British soldiers in Helmand Province to help them speak with Afghan people. His job also involved listening in on Taliban radio communications and translating them for the British forces. "The Taliban called us the British eyes," he told Sky News. "Because they think if we are not on the ground with them, the British force cannot do anything. "They know that you're listening to their chatting and the British forces are acting according to our translation. We were always the first target and our job was always full of risk." After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, Ali - who had already suffered injuries after the Taliban targeted him with a car bomb - was brought to the UK through the British government's Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) for his own protection. Once in the UK, he began to suspect his data had been leaked after his father "died because the Taliban took him into custody and beat him". Ali contacted the Ministry of Defence to raise concerns over his personal information last year, and stated in an email that he was "terrified", adding: "I beg of you, do not pass this information to anyone." "They just ignored what I told them and they never replied," he said. 'The Taliban want me' Following confirmation that the data breach did take place, Ali is even more scared for the lives of his family members who have already been in hiding from the Taliban for around five months. "I'm feeling terrible and frustrated," he said. "My family's details have been shared with the Taliban intelligence forces and now they are looking for them. "Every day, every single minute, my family's waiting for their death, because if anyone comes to knock the door, they think that that is the Taliban." 👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 Ali has twice applied for his family to be relocated to the UK but both applications have been rejected. He is now renewing his call for the British government to move his loved ones. "I have carried the body of the British soldier," he said. "I feel betrayed by the British government. They should relocate my family to a safe place." Read more: Ali has decided he will return to his homeland to help his family if they are not granted legal passage to the UK. "If we don't win [the case], I have decided I want to go back to Afghanistan and finish this," he said. "The Taliban want me. If the British government can't save my family, then I have this one responsibility to go and save them. "I don't want my family being killed for something they didn't do." Sky News has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
