Afghan data leak exposed UK spies and special forces

More than 100 names of British government personnel were also put at risk by the catastrophic breach in February 2022

- By HOLLY BANCROFT, SOCIAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT

British spies and special forces soldiers were among the tens of thousands of people potentially put at risk by the catastrophic

British spies and special forces soldiers were among the tens of thousands of people potentially put at risk by the catastrophic Afghan data leak, The Independent understands.

The breach, made by a Ministry of Defence official in February 2022, exposed the details of Afghans seeking an escape to the UK because they claimed links to British forces put them at risk of Taliban reprisals.

The blunder resulted in 16,000 Afghans affected by the data breach being evacuated to Britain, with some 8,000 still to come, and prompted an unprecedented two-year superinjunction preventing the publication of any details.

Now, defence sources have revealed that the names of more than 100 British government personnel, including MI6 spies, members of the SAS, MPs, government ministers and other senior military figures, were also exposed. The details come on another extraordinary day of revelations in the scandal, including:

• The Intelligence and Security Committee demanding to see evidence used to maintain the unprecedented superinjunction “immediately”

• Former armed forces minister James Heappey, who was in post when the initial injunction was sought, saying it was “gut-wrenching” to find out about the data loss error

• Afghans affected by the breach speaking of their anguish at receiving the “awful” news that their personal information had been leaked

• The Commons committee for science, innovation and technology calling on the information commissioner to investigate the breach