British spies and special forces identities exposed in Afghan data leak
LONDON (AP) — A data leak that led thousands of Afghans to be resettled in the U.K. after their safety was jeopardized because they assisted forces against the Taliban also exposed the identities of British spies and special forces, news organizations reported Thursday.
U.K. media reported that the names of more than 100 special forces troops, MI6 spies and military officers were part of the leak.
A person with knowledge of the events confirmed to The Associated Press that “a small number of special forces personnel” names were leaked. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive nature of the information.
The revelation followed a London judge’s order Tuesday to lift a so-called super injunction that prevented any reporting on an email inadvertently sent by a defense official in February 2022 that included personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to the U.K.
The Afghans, who worked with Western forces as fixers, translators or served in the internationally backed Afghan army, applied under a program to bring some to the U.K. because they faced retribution.
The British government only became aware of the leak when some of the data was posted on Facebook 18 months later by someone who threatened to publish the whole list. A secret program was then launched to relocate Afghans to the U.K.
When High Court Judge Martin Chamberlain lifted the rare and controversial super injunction, which also prevented reporting on existence of the injunction itself, he allowed information to be reported on the Afghans.
Defense Secretary John Healey apologized Tuesday in Parliament on behalf of the British government and said a small number of names of people who supported the applications, including members of Parliament, senior military officers and government officials, were listed on the document.
While Chamberlain lifted the super injunction, he had barred reporting that would show members of British forces and spies had also been on the list.
Media groups sought a modification of the judge’s order Thursday after The Sun tabloid, which was not a party to the case and not subject to the injunction, published information about the British identities being exposed.
News of the blunder has become a scandal because the government went to the extreme lengths to hide it from the public while relocating thousands of people.
Some 4,500 Afghans — 900 applicants and approximately 3,600 family members — have been brought to Britain under the program, and about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the time it closes, at a total cost of about 850 million pounds ($1.1 billion).
The government said it was closing the program after an independent review found little evidence the leaked data would expose Afghans to a greater risk of retribution from the Taliban. The review said the Taliban had other sources of information on those who had worked with the previous Afghan government and international forces.
Critics, however, said thousands of people who helped British troops as interpreters or in other roles could be at risk of torture, imprisonment or death.
Sean Humber, a lawyer who has represented Afghan claimants, said the “catastrophic” data breach had caused “anxiety, fear and distress” to those affected.
Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban government of Afghanistan, said the supreme leader had declared a general amnesty for everyone that prevented anybody being arrested, killed, or targeted, he told The Associated Press.
“Intelligence agencies do not need to monitor such people, who have already been pardoned, and all documents and information related to them are available here,” he said in a WhatsApp message. “Any rumors and gossip only serve to intimidate those individuals and cause fear and anxiety to their families.”
British soldiers were sent to Afghanistan as part of an international deployment against al-Qaida and Taliban forces in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the peak of the operation, there were almost 10,000 U.K. troops in the country, mostly in Helmand province in the south.
Britain ended combat operations in 2014, and its remaining troops left Afghanistan in 2021 as the Taliban swept back to power, two decades after they were ousted. The Taliban’s return triggered chaotic scenes as Western nations rushed to evacuate citizens and Afghan employees.
By JILL LAWLESS and BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press
