Details of more than 100 British nationals including spies and special forces soldiers were included in one of the country’s worst data breaches that led to thousands of Afghans being relocated to the UK, British media has reported.
The leak by the Ministry of Defence in early 2022, which surfaced on Facebook a year later, prompted the relocation of more than 16,000 Afghans to Britain as of May this year amid concerns they would face deadly reprisals from the Taliban.
Defence sources have said that details of MI6 spies, SAS and special forces personnel were included in the spreadsheet, after they had endorsed Afghans who had applied to be brought to the UK.
The data set, containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), was released “in error” in February 2022 by a defence official.
RM Block
The Ministry of Defence became aware of the breach more than a year later, when excerpts of the spreadsheet were anonymously posted in a Facebook group in August 2023.
Other details leaked included the names and contact details of the Arap applicants and names of their family members.
The personal information of more than 100 British officials, including spies from the foreign intelligence agency MI6 and special forces such as the SAS (Special Air Service), was included in the data leak, according to reports by BBC News and other outlets on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence cited its long-standing policy not to comment on matters related to the special forces.
Earlier this week, defence secretary John Healey issued an apology, acknowledging that the leak also included information about lawmakers and senior military figures who supported Afghan allies seeking refuge in the UK.
The breach led the former Conservative government to launch a secret relocation programme, estimated to cost around £2 billion (€2.3 billion) to protect those affected.
A court-imposed ‘superinjunction’, which banned media coverage of the leak or the relocation programme and even that there was such a veto in place, was lifted on Tuesday. – Reuters
