UK Ministry Of Defence Admits 49 Afghan Relocation Data Breaches

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has admitted that 49 data breaches have occurred in the past four years within the unit responsible for processing Afghan relocation applications.

According to a BBC investigation, some of these breaches were previously made public, including a major incident in 2022 when an Excel file containing details of nearly 19,000 Afghan citizens was accidentally released. That disclosure, kept from the public until last month after the High Court lifted a legal order, led to the secret transfer of thousands of Afghans to Britain.

At the time, Britain's Information Commissioner's Office described the release as a“one-off mistake caused by a failure to follow routine checks,” denying it was evidence of a“wider culture of non-compliance.” However, lawyers representing Afghan applicants argue that the new figures reveal repeated failures that put lives at risk.

The MoD has not provided details of each incident, but earlier cases involved applicants' email addresses and personal data being mistakenly sent to third parties. One of the most serious breaches occurred in September 2021, when more than 250 Afghans were copied into a single email, exposing 265 addresses. The error led to a £350,000 government fine.

Adnan Malik, head of data protection at Barings Law, which represents hundreds of Afghans affected by the 2022 leak, told the BBC:“What began as an isolated incident that the Ministry sought to conceal has now become a chain of catastrophic failures.” He demanded full transparency, stressing that victims should not have to learn the truth only through court action or media reports.

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), launched in April 2021 to support those who worked with British forces, ended in July this year. Despite its role in helping thousands escape Taliban persecution, the programme has been repeatedly criticised for poor data security that endangered those it was meant to protect.

The disclosures have reignited criticism of the UK government's handling of Afghan relocation efforts. For many of those who served alongside British troops, accidental data leaks not only compromised privacy but also heightened the threat of Taliban retribution.

As pressure builds, the government is being urged to overhaul its data protection practices, strengthen oversight, and ensure that relocation and asylum programmes do not repeat the same life-threatening mistakes.

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