UK launches secret relocation scheme for Afghans after data leak
The UK established a confidential program to relocate thousands of Afghans after a soldier accidentally leaked personal details of over 33,000 individuals, exposing them to potential Taliban reprisals, court documents revealed Tuesday.
A London High Court judge’s May 2024 ruling, published for the first time, stated that approximately 20,000 people might require relocation to Britain, at an estimated cost of several billion pounds, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that around 4,500 affected individuals are already in the UK or in transit, with the relocation costing about £400 million so far.
The data breach, first detected in August 2023 after the leak appeared on Facebook, exposed nearly 19,000 Afghans and their families who had applied for resettlement due to their support for British forces during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The UK government faced lawsuits over the breach and launched a review under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration, which found limited evidence of Taliban intent to carry out widespread reprisals despite ongoing dangers in Afghanistan.
The disclosure came after a superinjunction intended to protect the identities was lifted, shedding light on the costly and urgent relocation efforts aimed at safeguarding vulnerable Afghans.
Similar news
