UK allocated more than USD1.1 billion on relocating Afghans
(MENAFN) The British government has spent approximately £850 million (about $1.1 billion) to quietly relocate thousands of Afghan nationals whose identities were exposed in a Ministry of Defense (MOD) data leak. Officials confirmed the figures on Tuesday, after years of efforts to keep the incident hidden.
In February 2022, a MOD employee mistakenly sent an email containing a spreadsheet with sensitive information on up to 33,000 Afghans. Many of those exposed had worked with British forces during the NATO-led mission and had applied for asylum following the Taliban’s return to power.
The breach went undetected until 2023, when portions of the leaked data — including names, addresses, and other personal details — appeared on Facebook. This sparked fears that up to 100,000 people could be targeted as traitors.
To manage the fallout, the UK government imposed a “super-injunction” under the codename Operation Rubific and launched the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR), a covert relocation program aimed at helping individuals who otherwise wouldn’t have been eligible for asylum in the UK.
Defense Secretary John Healey sought to downplay the severity of the incident, saying only around 900 main applicants and 3,600 family members had been relocated to the UK at a cost of £400 million. He noted that the government still plans to resettle another 600 people and their families, bringing the total cost of the emergency operation to around £850 million.
However, a military review cited by The Times indicated that nearly 24,000 people impacted by the breach have already been resettled in the UK, many through other relocation schemes.
Overall, Britain’s various Afghan relocation efforts could cost taxpayers as much as £6 billion, with £2.7 billion already spent. A forthcoming lawsuit by those affected is projected to add at least another £250 million to the total.
On Tuesday, after a court lifted reporting restrictions following legal challenges for greater transparency, Healey delivered an apology in Parliament. “This serious data incident should never have happened,” he said, emphasizing that the breach occurred three years ago under the previous government.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
