Latest news with #AfghanRelocationandAssistanceProgramme
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Taliban warns thousands of Afghans secretly airlifted to UK ‘we will HUNT you down' after MoD leaked ‘kill list'
THE Taliban has chillingly warned it will hunt down thousands of Afghan refugees on a 'kill list' after the UK's huge data breach. fleeing the terrorist organisation were leaked after a Royal Marine mistakenly sent a top secret email to the wrong people. Advertisement 6 Details of almost 20,000 Afghan refugees fleeing the terrorist organisation were leaked Credit: AFP 6 Afghan refugees leaving Kabul in 2021 Credit: PA 6 The list contained details of 20,000 Afghans whose country had been taken over by the Taliban Credit: Getty Thousands of the refugees had to be secretly relocated to the UK after the blunder, which was covered up by the Ministry of Defence and is set to cost Britain up to £7 billion. The majority of those on the secret list were flown into Stansted airport via unmarked planes. But now Taliban officials have claimed the details of all the refugees have been known to them since 2022, after they allegedly sourced the information from the internet. Speaking to Advertisement Read more News 'We've been calling and visiting their family members to track them down. 'They believe these individuals are still working with the British, and say the problem must be dealt with. 'These people are seen as traitors, and the plan has been to find as many of them as possible. 'Whoever leaked that file is actually helping us. There may be a general amnesty in place, but spies cannot escape justice.' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive It means that the clumsy click and the subsequent cover-up - which has now proven to be ineffective - has potential to be the most expensive data breach in history. The list also included names of their individual UK sponsors including SAS and MI6 spies and at least one Although Defence Secretary Defence Secretary Healey's figure includes £100 million in compensation for the data breach and £300 million to relocate them to Britain. Advertisement Taliban launches warped Afghan TOURISM campaign with vid of brutes posing beside 'hostage' in ISIS-style mock execution Mr Healey offered a "sincere apology" in the face of the huge error and added that "no government wishes to withhold information from the British public". He later said: "The full number of Afghan arrivals under all schemes have been reported in the regular Home Office statistics, meaning that they are already counted in the existing migration figures." However, government sources have estimated that the lifetime cost of supporting the 20,000 individuals and their families could hit £7 billion - if the rescued Afghans decide to sue the government for leaking their data. Only around 10 to 15 per cent of the individuals on the list would have qualified for relocation under the emergency Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme, known as ARAP, opened as Kabul fell to the Advertisement Many of the Afghans who were flown into the country as part of Operation Rubific were initially housed at MoD homes or hotels until permanent accomodation was found. The leak put countless of people left in Afghanistan at risk, as the country's ruthless Taliban rulers tried to hunt and kill anyone who had helped UK forces. A number of named individuals have been killed since the leak. Others were tortured and beaten. But sources insisted it was impossible to prove conclusively whether it was a direct result of the data breach. Advertisement The epic MoD blunder was kept Top Secret for almost three years by a legal super injunction but can finally be made public today. A source said: 'The kept this secret and denied these people the chance to change their numbers, emails, locations or take any measures to protect themselves.' And the MoD only wrote to those affected to warn them today. An MoD source said it was 'human error and not a cyber hack or hostile state actor'. Advertisement 6 Thousands of Afghan refugees have been marked on a 'kill list' Credit: Reuters 6 Defence Secretary John Healey offered a "sincere apology" after the huge error Credit: PA 6 The leak, covered up by the MoD, cost Britain £7 billion after it was sent to the wrong people Credit: Getty Images
The Irish Sun
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
MoD in massive £7bn data breach after bungling Royal Marine accidentally sent secret email to wrong people
A FAT-FINGERED Royal Marine who sent a secret email to the wrong people is set to cost the government up to £7bn. The email contained the details of 20,000 1 The MoD reportedly kept the leak secret for three years Credit: Getty The list also included names of their individual UK sponsors including SAS and MI6 spies and at least one The clumsy click has potential to be the most expensive data breach in history. It put countless lives at risk as Afghanistan's ruthless Taliban rulers tried to hunt and kill anyone who had helped UK forces. A number of named individuals have been killed since the leak. Others were tortured and beaten. But sources insited it was impossible to prove conclusively whether it was a direct result of the data breach. The epic MoD blunder was kept Top Secret for almost three years by a legal super injunction but can finally be made public today. And the MoD only wrote to those affected to warn them today. A source said: 'The Most read in The Sun The Sun understands that a serving member of UK Special Forces, who was originally a Royal Marine, accidentally emailed the database to a group of applicants who were named on the list. An MoD source said it was 'human error and not a cyber hack or hostile state actor'. I lived with Taliban for year secretly filming bloodthirsty terrorists' horror secrets… then orders were sent to kill me One of the individuals later published the database online when his application was turned down. Critics also accused the MoD of hiding the leak from the British public in bid to conceal the potential costs. Defence Secretary John Healey is expected to say the cost of relocating the It includes £100 million in compensation for the data breach and £300 million to relocate them to Britain. But government sources have estimated that the lifetime cost of supporting the 20,000 individuals and their families could hit £7bn. Lawyer Adnan Malik, who represented around 1,000 victims, blasted the MoD for 'careless handling of sensitive information' which he warned had put lives at risk. Mr Malik, from the Manchester based law firm Barings Law, added: 'This is an incredibly serious data breach, which the Ministry of Defence has repeatedly tried to hide from the British public.' He added: 'A total of around 20,000 individuals have been affected, putting them and their loved ones at serious risk of violence from opponents and armed groups. 'Through its careless handling of such sensitive information, the Ministry of Defence has put multiple lives at risk, damaged its own reputation, and put the success of future operations in jeopardy by eroding trust in its data security measures.' He accused the MoD of using a High Court injunction to try and keep the breach a 'national secret' in order to 'hide the failings of the MoD'. Only around 10 to 15 per cent of the individuals on the list would have qualified for relocation under the emergency Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme, known as ARAP, opened as Kabul fell to the But the leak means many more now have a valid claim for assistance and relocation. The list included Afghans who worked hand-in-glove with Britain's special forces and intelligence services, as well as those who performed more menial tasks including such as cleaners on bases and embassies. Mr added: 'Our claimants continue to live with the fear of reprisal against them and their families, when they should have been met with gratitude and discretion for their service. Read more on the Irish Sun 'We would expect substantial financial payments for each claimant in any future legal action. "While this will not fully undo the harm they have been exposed to, it will enable them to move forward and rebuild their lives.'
