Thousands of Afghans have been brought to Britain in secrecy after a data leak

Thousands of Afghans, including many who worked with British forces, have been secretly resettled in the UK after a leak of data on their identities raised fears that the Taliban could target them, the British government revealed Tuesday.

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The government said it is closing the programme, which a rare court order had barred the media from disclosing.

"To all those whose information was compromised, I offer a sincere apology today," Defense Secretary John Healey said in the House of Commons.

He said he regretted the secrecy and "have felt deeply concerned about the lack of transparency to Parliament and the public."