UK Secretly Resettled Thousands of Afghans After Data Leak, Government Reveals

The British government has acknowledged that thousands of Afghans, many of whom supported UK forces, were secretly relocated to the United Kingdom following a data breach that exposed their identities. The resettlement program was kept confidential under a rare court order, known as a super injunction, which also barred reporting on the existence of the order itself.

Defense Secretary John Healey apologized in Parliament to those affected by the breach, stating he was "deeply concerned about the lack of transparency to Parliament and the public." The breach occurred in 2022 when a defense official mistakenly released a spreadsheet containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghan applicants. The government only became aware of the leak 18 months later, after some data appeared on Facebook.

In response, authorities established a secret program to resettle Afghans considered most at risk from the Taliban. The injunction was lifted on Tuesday, coinciding with the Labour government’s decision to make the program public. An independent review found little evidence that the leak increased the risk of Taliban retribution, noting the group already had other sources of information and was more focused on present threats to its rule.

Approximately 4,500 Afghans—900 applicants and about 3,600 family members—have been brought to the UK under the program, with a total of around 6,900 expected by its conclusion. The initiative is projected to cost about 850 million pounds ($1.1 billion). Since 2021, around 36,000 Afghans have arrived in the UK through other resettlement routes.

Some critics argue that many Afghans who assisted British forces remain at risk. Sean Humber, a lawyer representing Afghan claimants, described the data breach as "catastrophic" and said it caused "anxiety, fear and distress." Nooralhaq Nasimi, founder of the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association in the UK, said many Afghans who trusted the UK "have had that trust gravely betrayed," urging compensation and further protection for those still in danger.

Super injunctions are seldom used in the UK, and this is the first known instance of one being granted to the government. High Court Judge Martin Chamberlain, who lifted the order, said it had "given rise to serious free speech concerns" and created a "scrutiny vacuum" by preventing normal democratic accountability.