UK reveals thousands of Afghans were secretly given asylum

Court had ordered ban on reporting on relocation of people named in data breach

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LONDON - Thousands of Afghans who worked with the UK, and their families, were brought to Britain under a secret programme after a 2022 data breach put their lives at risk, the British government revealed on July 15.

Defence Minister John Healey unveiled the scheme to Parliament after the British High Court on July 15 lifted a super-gag order banning any reporting of the events.

In February 2022, a spreadsheet containing the names and details of almost 19,000 Afghans who had asked to be relocated to Britain was accidentally leaked by a British official just six months after Taliban fighters seized Kabul, Mr Healey said. "This was a serious departmental error. Lives may have been at stake," he added.

The previous Conservative government put in place a secret programme in April 2024 to help those "judged to be at the highest risk of reprisals by the Taliban", he said.