Thousands of Afghans put at risk by MoD data breach still stranded and many ‘in danger’ months on – UK Times

Thousands of Afghans who were put at risk after their data was leaked by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a catastrophic blunder are still waiting to be brought to safety in the UK, more than six months after the scandal, The Independent can reveal.

Around 400 people who supported British efforts in Afghanistan and later had their personal information breached by the UK government have been left “trapped” in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, struggling to get out.

Some 1,900 of their family members have also been left in limbo. One Afghan analyst urged the government to “redouble its efforts” to get the final families out, saying hundreds still “live in real danger of reprisals from the Taliban”.

The latest figures, from December 2025, obtained through freedom of information requests, show how UK evacuations are “working far too slowly when people’s lives are threatened”, campaigners said.

Chair of the Defence Select Committee Tan Dhesi said that while bringing people from Afghanistan to the UK is not straightforward, “every month counts”. “Time is obviously of the essence for Afghans entitled to resettlement in the UK who remain in Afghanistan”, he added.

The MoD said that it is committed to getting people out of Afghanistan and that the data breach did not put people at increased risk.

Some 18,700 applicants to the government’s Afghan resettlement schemes had their personal details and contact information leaked by an MoD blunder in 2022, which was only discovered in the summer of 2023 after a portion of a spreadsheet was shared on social media.

The discovery of the mistake sparked one of the most extraordinary secret government operations in modern history over fears that up to 100,000 lives were in danger. An unprecedented gagging order was used to cover up the breach, with affected families only discovering the danger they had potentially been put in when the superinjunction was lifted in July last year.

When the MoD’s data loss was revealed, officials said they still needed to evacuate around 600 Afghans, along with 2,400 family members, who were eligible to come to the UK due to their work for the British and the data breach.

A further 2,400, eligible because of the data loss, were also yet to be evacuated as of last July. Officials have said that these estimates are not directly comparable with the numbers released to The Independent under FOI because they are calculated differently.

Defence secretary John Healey said in July last year that “we will honour the 600 invitations already made to any named person still in Afghanistan and their immediate family”, adding: “When this nation makes a promise, we should keep it.”

However, campaigners and Afghans in the UK warn that these families do not have the financial resources to pay for necessary visas and transport to get out of the Taliban-run country. An independent caseworker, known as Person A, who alerted the government to the MoD data breach in the summer of 2023, said the UK government had withdrawn evacuation support for the Afghan families, leaving them “trapped”.

One former Afghan soldier, brought to the UK under the MoD’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), said his brother and family were approved for relocation more than a year ago but have been unable to escape Afghanistan. The former special forces commando said: “My brother is in a bad financial situation as he is not able to work under the Taliban government. I am angry because my brother was one of the most eligible people to come to the UK. He was injured during his service to the British forces; others who are not soldiers have got into the UK, while those like my brother have been left behind.

“I am grateful for the help and support that I have received for myself, but my brother is in a dire situation and I cannot do anything for him. His and his family’s life is in danger.”

The government announced on Thursday that hundreds of former members of the Afghan special forces have been given a path to resettlement in the UK after a review of their previously rejected cases. A total of 884 decisions affecting ex-special forces soldiers have been overturned, but it is not clear how quickly they will be able to be evacuated.

Daniel Carey, partner at Deighton Pierce Glynn, said: “The 884 grants are welcome and many of our clients are among them. However, around three-quarters of these were approved over a year ago. This figure, therefore, highlights the very low approval rate under the review, with thousands rejected.”

New figures published this month show that tens of thousands of Afghans are still waiting to find out if they will be given sanctuary in the UK. The National Audit Office (NAO) found that 29,655 people are still waiting to learn whether they will be allowed to resettle in Britain under Afghan resettlement schemes.

In addition, officials estimate around 9,741 people are waiting to be brought here after being accepted. Ministers had committed to bringing all eligible Afghans to the UK by March 2029; however, the officer in charge of the programme believes they will be unable to meet this target unless there is “urgent intervention”.

Sarah Fenby-Dixon, Afghanistan consultant at the Refugee Aid Network, said: “While I applaud the government’s continuing efforts to relocate members of the Afghan special forces and their families who were affected by the data breach, the process is appallingly slow.

“On a personal level, this means that people who went into hiding in 2021 continue to be unable to work and have to change their location regularly, causing dreadful psychological and economic consequences. The Arap process is largely working, but it is working far too slowly when people’s lives are threatened. The government needs to redouble its efforts and ensure eligible applicants are taken to safety as soon as possible.”

Labour MP Mr Dhesi added: “Bringing people from Afghanistan to the UK is obviously not straightforward. But every month counts. The committee have heard of individuals and families in hiding and destitution, and in some cases, even losing their lives. As we conclude our inquiry, I am sure we will want to ask defence ministers about those left behind in Afghanistan as well as about those who have been successfully brought to the UK.”

Independent caseworker Person A added: “The withdrawal of government support for families to transfer to Pakistan means people are trapped in Afghanistan with no way out. These families are destitute, having had no income since July 2021.

“The delays across all evacuations are having severe consequences, with families being impacted by airstrikes in Afghanistan, Iran and Lebanon. We have lost contact with a number of families in the last two weeks, and we fear the worst.”

An MoD spokesperson said: “We remain absolutely committed to the promises we have made to our Afghan friends and allies – including relocating eligible Afghans to the UK.

“Eligible Afghans are continuing to be relocated to the UK once they receive UK visas, and we are still aiming for all Afghan Resettlement Program eligible people who wish to relocate to the UK to do so during this parliament.

“The Rimmer review was clear that it is unlikely that those impacted by the data incident are at an increased risk of targeting purely as a result of being on the dataset.”