Afghans left behind live in fear of Taliban 'kill list'

Daily Mail​

17-07-2025

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.