Tue Jul 15 14:24:44 UTC 2025: **News Article: UK Secretly Resettling Thousands of Afghans After Data Breach Put Lives at Risk**
**London, UK** – The United Kingdom is secretly resettling thousands of Afghan people after a major data breach exposed the personal details of over 33,000 individuals, potentially endangering them from Taliban reprisals. Defence Minister John Healey revealed that approximately 4,500 Afghans are already in the UK or in transit under the clandestine “Afghan Response Route” program, costing around £400 million.
The data breach occurred in early 2022 but was only discovered in August 2023, when part of the sensitive data was published on Facebook. The information included personal details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied for relocation to Britain, many of whom had assisted British forces before the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
A High Court judge, in a May 2024 judgment made public this week, estimated that potentially 20,000 people may need relocation to Britain, costing “several billion pounds.” The details came to light after a previously imposed superinjunction, meant to prevent the release of information due to the risk to Afghan individuals, was lifted.
A government-commissioned review found that over 16,000 people affected by the data breach had been relocated to the UK by May of this year. While the review found limited evidence of a deliberate Taliban campaign of retribution, Afghanistan remains a dangerous country.
Facing lawsuits from those affected by the breach, Defence Minister Healey apologized for the incident, stating it “should never have happened.” He announced the closure of the Afghan Response Route.
The UK has also relocated approximately 36,000 additional Afghans under other resettlement schemes. British troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 as part of the US-led “War on Terror,” with troop numbers peaking at nearly 10,000.
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