UK secretly relocated thousands of Afghans after data breach
The revelation came after a High Court lifted a gag order that had suppressed reporting on the sensitive operation.
The incident traces back to February 2022 when a UK official accidentally leaked a spreadsheet containing personal details of nearly 19,000 Afghans seeking relocation. This occurred just six months after the Taliban regained control of Kabul. Healey described the leak as a grave departmental failure with potentially life-threatening consequences.
In response, the former Conservative government initiated a covert programme called the Afghan Response Route to evacuate those deemed at highest risk of Taliban retaliation. To date, approximately 900 Afghan nationals and 3,600 family members have been relocated to the UK or are in transit under this scheme, which cost taxpayers around £400 million.
These evacuees form part of the 36,000 Afghans granted UK entry through various resettlement programmes since the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Healey, who previously served as Labour's defence spokesman, learned of the operation in December 2023 but was legally barred from discussing it due to a sweeping court injunction imposed by the outgoing government.
The minister expressed discomfort about being unable to inform Parliament earlier, stating that ministers had withheld information to prevent the Taliban from obtaining the leaked dataset. Following Labour's election victory in July 2024, Healey launched a review of the programme which found minimal evidence of Taliban retaliation efforts.
With the Afghan Response Route now terminated, Healey issued a public apology for the data breach, calling it an unacceptable security failure. The disclosure marks a significant development in the UK's handling of Afghan allies following the chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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UK secretly relocated thousands of Afghans after data breach
LONDON: Thousands of Afghans who assisted the UK government were secretly brought to Britain following a major data breach that exposed their identities to Taliban threats, Defence Minister John Healey disclosed. The revelation came after a High Court lifted a gag order that had suppressed reporting on the sensitive operation. The incident traces back to February 2022 when a UK official accidentally leaked a spreadsheet containing personal details of nearly 19,000 Afghans seeking relocation. This occurred just six months after the Taliban regained control of Kabul. Healey described the leak as a grave departmental failure with potentially life-threatening consequences. In response, the former Conservative government initiated a covert programme called the Afghan Response Route to evacuate those deemed at highest risk of Taliban retaliation. To date, approximately 900 Afghan nationals and 3,600 family members have been relocated to the UK or are in transit under this scheme, which cost taxpayers around £400 million. These evacuees form part of the 36,000 Afghans granted UK entry through various resettlement programmes since the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Healey, who previously served as Labour's defence spokesman, learned of the operation in December 2023 but was legally barred from discussing it due to a sweeping court injunction imposed by the outgoing government. The minister expressed discomfort about being unable to inform Parliament earlier, stating that ministers had withheld information to prevent the Taliban from obtaining the leaked dataset. Following Labour's election victory in July 2024, Healey launched a review of the programme which found minimal evidence of Taliban retaliation efforts. With the Afghan Response Route now terminated, Healey issued a public apology for the data breach, calling it an unacceptable security failure. The disclosure marks a significant development in the UK's handling of Afghan allies following the chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan.
