How were identities of thousands of Afghans leaked by UK military?

The British authorities has secretly resettled thousands of Afghans successful the United Kingdom for fearfulness they mightiness beryllium targeted by the Taliban aft their idiosyncratic details were leaked, Defence Secretary John Healey revealed connected Tuesday.

Details astir the accidental information breach by a British worker and the concealed relocation programme for Afghans were made nationalist aft a uncommon tribunal bid known arsenic a “superinjuction”, which barred the media from adjacent disclosing its existence, was lifted connected Tuesday.

Here is what we cognize astir what happened and however the authorities responded:

Whose information was leaked and however did it happen?

A spreadsheet containing the idiosyncratic accusation of astir 18,700 Afghans and their relatives – a full of astir 33,000 radical – was accidentally forwarded to the incorrect recipients by email successful February 2022, Healey told lawmakers successful the House of Commons.

These were radical who had applied for relocation to the UK betwixt August 2021 and January 7, 2022. That was the six-month play pursuing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan aft the US and allied forces withdrew from the country. Most had worked arsenic translators, assistants oregon successful different capacities for the British subject successful Afghanistan.

They had applied for the UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, which, similar its predecessor, the Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS), had been acceptable up for Afghans who had worked for the British forces.

The EGS was primitively established successful 2013 pursuing a agelong run by activists and media successful enactment of radical who had assisted the British subject successful Afghanistan and who were considered apt to look reprisals from the Taliban.

The British worker astatine the centre of the leak, who had been tasked with verifying applications for relocation, is understood to person mistakenly believed the database contained the names of 150 applicants, erstwhile it really contained idiosyncratic accusation linked to immoderate 18,714 people.

The worker was nether the bid of General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, who was manager of peculiar forces astatine the clip and present heads the British Navy. His sanction had besides been suppressed by the tribunal bid until this week.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) became alert of the leak erstwhile idiosyncratic other posted parts of the information connected Facebook connected August 14, 2023. The Facebook station was archetypal spotted by an activistic who was assisting Afghans who had worked with UK forces.

The activistic contacted the MoD, saying: “The Taliban whitethorn present person a 33,000-long termination database – fundamentally provided to them by the British government. If immoderate of these families are murdered, the authorities volition beryllium liable,” The Guardian paper reported.

How did the authorities respond to the leak?

The MoD told Facebook to instrumentality down the station with the leaked information, citing information threats from the Taliban. It besides warned immoderate 1,800 ARAP applicants who had fled to Pakistan that they oregon their families could beryllium successful danger.

The UK government, led by erstwhile Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, past sought a tribunal bid barring immoderate media disclosure of the information breach.

On September 1, 2023, a High Court justice successful London issued a “superinjunction”, which not lone prohibits the disclosure of immoderate details but besides forbids revealing that the bid exists astatine all. That superinjunction was lifted connected Tuesday pursuing a run led by The Times paper successful London.

In April 2024, the authorities created the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) to enactment Afghans who were not eligible for ARAP but were considered astatine precocious hazard of reprisals from the Taliban arsenic a effect of the information leak.

This scheme, which was kept secret, has present been closed, Healey told the House of Commons. However, helium added that hundreds of invitations were issued to Afghans and their families nether the strategy and these invitations “will beryllium honoured”.

The authorities besides launched the concealed Operation Rubific to evacuate those Afghans deemed to beryllium astatine hazard straight to the UK.

A campaigner for a relocation programme for Afghan interpreters who served the British subject holds a wreath and a banner extracurricular the Foreign Office successful London, Friday, May 3, 2013 [Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP]

How galore Afghans person been relocated to the UK nether the concealed scheme?

As a nonstop effect of the leak, the authorities says 900 radical and astir 3,000 relatives person already been flown to the UK nether the concealed relocation strategy and enactment up successful hotels oregon subject bases. In total, astir 24,000 Afghans affected by the breach person either been brought to the UK already oregon volition beryllium successful the adjacent future, according to UK media reports.

Through broader resettlement schemes, 35,245 Afghans person truthful acold been relocated to the UK, authoritative information suggests.

Why is this accusation being disclosed now?

The tribunal bid barring the details astir the leak from being disclosed was lifted astatine noon (11:00 GMT) connected Tuesday.

Following respective backstage hearings, a High Court justice ruled successful May that the injunction should beryllium lifted, citing, among different reasons, the inability of the nationalist oregon parliament to scrutinise the government’s decisions.

British quality outlet The Times reported it had spearheaded the two-year ineligible conflict which resulted successful the injunction being lifted.

That determination was, however, overturned by the Court of Appeal successful July 2024, owed to concerns astir the imaginable risks to individuals whose accusation had been leaked.

Then came the “Rimmer review”.

Healey, a subordinate of existent Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ruling Labour party, said helium was briefed astir the leak erstwhile it happened arsenic helium was serving arsenic shadiness defence caput astatine the time. However, helium added that different furniture members were lone informed astir the leak erstwhile Starmer’s enactment was elected to powerfulness successful the wide predetermination of July 2024.

“As Parliamentarians – and arsenic Government Ministers – it has been profoundly uncomfortable to beryllium constrained successful reporting to this House. And I americium grateful contiguous to beryllium capable to disclose the details to Parliament,” Healey said connected Tuesday.

Healey said that astatine the opening of this year, helium commissioned erstwhile elder civilian servant and erstwhile Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence Paul Rimmer to behaviour an autarkic review.

Quoting the “Rimmer review” successful Parliament connected Tuesday, Healey said that 4 years since the Taliban’s takeover successful Afghanistan, “there is small grounds of intent by the Taleban [sic] to behaviour a run of retribution against erstwhile officials.”

He added that the accusation the Taliban inherited from the erstwhile Afghan authorities would person already allowed them to people individuals if they had wished. Therefore, Rimmer concluded it was “highly unlikely” that someone’s accusation being connected the leaked spreadsheet would beryllium a cardinal portion of accusation enabling oregon prompting the Taliban to instrumentality action.

“However, Rimmer is wide – helium stresses the uncertainty successful immoderate judgements … and helium does not regularisation retired immoderate risk,” Healey said.

How harmless are the radical named successful the leak now?

The Times reported that aft the superinjunction had been lifted, a caller impermanent tribunal bid was issued, barring the media from publishing circumstantial delicate details astir what precisely was successful the database.

The Times said the authorities cited reasons of confidentiality and nationalist security, arguing that the leaked database inactive poses a menace to the information of the Afghans.

In a webpage published connected Tuesday, the MoD states: “At present, determination is nary grounds to suggest that the spreadsheet has been seen oregon utilized by others who mightiness question to exploit the information; however, the UK Government cannot regularisation retired that possibility.”

It present advises those who applied for the ARAP oregon EGS programmes earlier January 7, 2022, to workout caution, debar telephone calls oregon messages from chartless numbers, bounds their societal media profiles and usage a Virtual Private Network (VPN) wherever possible.

UK-based media outlets person reported that a instrumentality steadfast is suing the MoD connected behalf of astatine slightest 1,000 Afghans affected by the information leak.

How overmuch has the leak outgo the UK government?

Healey said connected Tuesday that it had already outgo 400 cardinal pounds ($540m) to bring an archetypal 900 Afghans and their 3,600 household members to the UK nether the ARR.

However, this does not relationship for the expenditures by different authorities schemes to relocate Afghans to the UK. Healey estimated that the full outgo of relocating Afghans to the UK was betwixt 5.5 cardinal and 6 cardinal pounds ($7.4bn to $8bn).

Different figures for however overmuch the leak outgo the UK person emerged. An unnamed authorities authoritative told Reuters that the leak outgo the UK astir 2 cardinal pounds ($2.7bn). Other outlets person reported that ARR is expected to outgo the UK authorities a full of 850 cardinal pounds ($1.1bn).