The Ministry of Defence used a super-injunction to cover up a major data breach that put the lives of nearly 100,000 Afghans at risk of being killed by the Taliban.
The breach, which can now be reported on following the lifting of the order on Tuesday (15 July), occurred in February 2022 when a member of the armed forces accidentally shared a spreadsheet which included the details of 25,000 Afghans trying to claim asylum.
The government offered refuge to some of those named due to fears that they would be at risk of reprisal attacks from the Taliban if the terrorist organisation found out they were attempting to flee.
The Independent’s Social affairs correspondent Holly Bancroft reports on the coverup which saw over 16,000 Afghans evacuated to the UK at a cost of £7billion.
