Why UK secretly brought in thousands of Afghans, including 'sex offenders'

India Today

16-07-2025

Thousands of Afghans have been relocated to the UK through a confidential resettlement scheme launched by Britain after a data breach in 2022, when a British defence official inadvertently exposed their personal information. The leak placed them at risk of Taliban retaliation, following the group's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Defence Secretary John Healey has since confirmed that the scheme will no longer offer further relocations. A lawyer representing the affected individuals stated they have "strong claims for compensation".advertisementIn February 2022, the personal details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK following the Taliban's takeover in Kabul were leaked, according to a report by the BBC.So far, about 4,500 Afghans have arrived under the scheme in the UK, the BBC report added.
The individuals whose personal details were leaked were only informed last Tuesday.Though the data was leaked in 2022, the previous Conservative government learned about it in August 2023 when some of the details appeared on social media.Ministers and officials at the Ministry of Defence scrambled into action after discovering that the leaked data had surfaced in a Facebook group. They sought an injunction from the High Court – reportedly the first of its kind requested by a British government – to block further media disclosure, according to The Guardian.A new resettlement scheme, the Afghan Response Route (ARR), was created in haste soon after.The court in the initial trial granted the application "contra mundum" – against the world – and ruled that its existence remain secret, resulting in a superinjunction which remained in place until lifted on Tuesday, according to The Guardian.UK DEFENCE MINISTER APOLOGISES FOR THE DATA LEAKBritish Defence Minister John Healey has issued an apology for the data leak.The leaked data included details about Members of Parliament and senior military officers who supported applications to help Afghan soldiers who worked with the British military and their families relocate to the UK, news agency Reuters reported."This serious data incident should never have happened," Healey told lawmakers in the House of Commons, Reuters reported."It may have occurred three years ago under the previous government, but to all whose data was compromised I offer a sincere apology," the news agency quoted him as saying.The government on Tuesday said it believed 600 Afghan soldiers included in the leak, plus 1,800 of their family members, are still in Afghanistan, according to the BBC report.The scheme is being closed down, but relocation offers already made to those who remain in Afghanistan will be honoured, the BBC reported, citing the government. The scheme has cost GBP 400 million (approximately Rs 43,000 crore) so far and is expected to cost a further GBP 400 million to 450 million.SEX OFFENDERS AMONG THOSE WHO RELOCATED TO UKadvertisementReform UK leader Nigel Farage has launched a scathing attack on the government over the handling of the Afghan scheme.Farage said convicted sex offenders were among the people brought to the UK as part of the government's response to the data leak, without providing evidence for his claim, the UK's Financial Times reported.He said no more Afghans involved in the data breach would be offered relocation, citing a government review that found "little evidence of intent from the Taliban to conduct a campaign of retribution against former officials", the Financial Times reported.UK GOVT FACING BREACH CLAIMS FROM THE AFFECTED INDIVIDUALSThe government is now facing lawsuits from those affected by the breach.Sean Humber, a lawyer at Leigh Day, a leading UK law firm, who has acted for Afghan citizens affected by previous data breaches, said those affected were "likely to have strong claims for substantial compensation" for the anxiety and distress caused by the leak, according to a report in Reuters.advertisementBritish troops were initially sent to Afghanistan in 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks on the US, playing a key role in combat missions until 2014.In early 2022, a spreadsheet containing details of Afghans who had worked for the British government prior to the Taliban takeover in 2021 and had applied for relocation to Britain was e-mailed to someone outside of government systems by mistake, Reuters reported.- Ends