Former Afghan army officer says UK data breach put his life ‘more at risk’ from the Taliban

A superinjunction was issued by the High Court to try to stop the Taliban from discovering the leak, as ITV News Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen explains

A former Afghan army officer who worked with UK military advisors and Nato during the war has told ITV News the Government data breach has made his life harder and left him "more at risk".

After working in what he described as a “dangerous” role for the UK military, he was left behind, like many others, during Britain’s chaotic evacuation from Kabul in August 2021.

To support those left behind and at serious risk from the Taliban, the government launched the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), which offers relocation to the UK for those who qualify.

But in February 2022, a defence official accidentally released a dataset containing the personal details of nearly 19,000 Arap applicants.

The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the breach in August 2023, when parts of the dataset were anonymously posted in a Facebook group.

A superinjunction was issued by the High Court to try to stop the Taliban from discovering the leak.

That injunction was lifted on Tuesday after a review. Those affected were contacted by email and warned of the potential danger.

ITV News has spoken to a man who fled Afghanistan to protect himself and his family while on the run from the Taliban.

For security reasons, we cannot reveal his exact role. He told us that despite taking precautions since 2021, the data leak has made his life even harder.

"The UK Government's data breach has made things even harder. It exposed my personal information, making me and others even more at risk," he said.

Though he added that even with "all his suffering," he does not regret helping the UK mission.

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He said that when the Taliban took over in 2021, they came to his home three times looking for him.

Fearing for his life, he said he had “no choice” but to flee to another country.

Now on the run, he said: "I'm jobless. I do heavy jobs like truck loading and other things, just to buy food and pay rent."

He hopes, like others, that he will receive an offer to relocate to the UK under the Arap.

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