British Defence Secretary John Healey has apologised after the personal information of thousands of Afghan nationals was leaked, potentially placing them at risk of Taliban retaliation.
The breach, which occurred in 2022, compromised the data of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom following the Taliban’s return to power. The previous Conservative government was informed of the breach in August 2023, nearly a year later, when portions of the sensitive data were discovered circulating on Facebook.
In response, the UK government launched a confidential relocation programme aimed at transferring at-risk individuals to safety. The operation, which began nine months after the breach, has so far brought approximately 4,500 Afghans to the UK. The programme was kept secret to avoid further exposure of sensitive information.
Details of the data breach were made public on Monday after a High Court judge lifted a publication ban. The leaked material included names, contact information, and family details of individuals potentially vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban.
The UK Prime Minister’s Office has declined to say whether any official has faced disciplinary action over the incident. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police determined there were no grounds to pursue a criminal investigation.
According to the Ministry of Defence, around 600 former Afghan soldiers whose data was included in the breach remain in Afghanistan, along with an estimated 1,800 of their family members. While the confidential relocation programme is winding down, the government has pledged to honour all previous resettlement offers.
The programme has already cost the government £400 million, with future costs expected to range between £400 million and £450 million.
The breach was attributed to an unnamed Ministry of Defence official and is being described as an “error.” In addition to Afghan applicants, the data leak also affected British Members of Parliament and senior military personnel. Those impacted were officially notified on Tuesday, 15 July.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary Healey issued a public apology for the incident.
Relocation Scheme Cancelled Following Review
A review commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, the summary of which was released on Tuesday, revealed that by May 2025 more than 16,000 individuals affected by the breach had been relocated to the UK, many through pre-existing resettlement pathways.
The confidential relocation directive was issued in 2023 after concerns were raised that public disclosure of the breach could result in extrajudicial killings or severe violence against those named.
While initial figures cited nearly 19,000 affected individuals, the High Court’s summary judgment stated that the leaked dataset contained personal information for more than 33 individuals who had formally submitted relocation applications.