Headline Roundup • July 18th, 2025
Thousands of Afghans Secretly Relocated to the UK Following 2022 Data Leak
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The UK government secretly relocated thousands of Afghans to Britain in 2022 after a data leak at the British Ministry of Defence exposed their personal details, potentially making them targets of the Taliban.
The Details: The leak occurred when a British special forces soldier accidentally emailed a spreadsheet to a group of Afghans that included personal information of about 25,000 Afghans and 100 British operatives. Reportedly, nearly 19,000 of the Afghans had applied for the UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). The British government offered asylum to 24,000 Afghan soldiers as a result, and 16,000 Afghans have already been relocated. The scheme has reportedly cost around £2 billion ($2.7 billion), but the government has said that no additional asylum will be offered due to the leak.
For Context: British forces were first deployed in Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on the US. Following the Taliban's takeover of the country in 2021, concerns about the safety of Afghan allies led to the formation of the relocation scheme. Some of the leaked data started to appear on Facebook in August 2023, tipping the ministry off to the breach. From then on, the leak was subject to an injunction that prevented the media from reporting what happened until Tuesday, when a court lifted the order. The story comes to light amid tension over Britain's public finances and the rising popularity of the right-wing, anti-migration Reform UK political party.
How The Media Covered It: Sky News (Lean Left bias) and Reuters (Center) prominently noted that the breach and scheme happened under the previous Conservative government. The Telegraph (Lean Right) did not prominently note this and wrote once, later in its article, that the scheme was signed off on by the current Liberal government, but began under the Conservatives. Outlets have published different figures on those affected, the cost to the taxpayers, and those relocated. The Independent (Lean Left) and Sky News wrote that 16,000 Afghans have already been relocated to the UK, with another 8,000 on the way, while Reuters reported “about 4,500 Afghans and their family members” have moved. The Telegraph said the leaked spreadsheet included the information on 25,000, but The Independent and Sky News highlighted that the leak included information on roughly 19,000 who applied for ARAP. Reuters reported the scheme was estimated to cost around £2 billion, while The Telegraph said it’s estimated to have cost up to £6 billion, and noted the government has earmarked £7 billion for it.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
A huge Ministry of Defence data breach put the lives of up to 100,000 Afghans at risk and prompted thousands of them to be evacuated to Britain under a covert £7bn scheme – then was kept secret for almost two years by an unprecedented superinjunction, it can be revealed today.
The leak, in February 2022, exposed the details of thousands of Afghans who said they were in danger from the Taliban because of their links to UK forces and now wanted to escape to Britain.
Britain set up a secret scheme to bring thousands of Afghans to the UK after their personal details were disclosed in one of the country's worst ever data breaches, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban after their return to power.
Concerns that individuals could be targeted by the Taliban led the previous Conservative government to set up the relocation scheme, involving thousands of people and estimated to cost the government about 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion).
The Telegraph
Britain has secretly offered asylum to nearly 24,000 Afghan soldiers and their families caught up in the most serious data breach in history, it can be revealed.
The leak led the Government to earmark £7 billion to relocate Afghan refugees to the UK over five years, piling pressure on the Chancellor’s already stretched budget.
Despite the huge cost to the taxpayer, the breach was kept secret from the public for 683 days by two successive governments after the first use of a super-injunction by ministers.
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