Thousands of Afghans evacuated to the United Kingdom under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) have had their personal details compromised in a major UK data breach. The incident, linked to a Ministry of Defence (MoD) sub-contractor, has raised serious concerns over data security and the safety of Afghan families resettled in Britain.
According to officials, up to 3,700 Afghans who arrived in the UK between January and March 2024 may have had their names, dates of birth, passport details, and ARAP reference numbers exposed. The breach occurred at Inflite The Jet Centre, a company providing ground-handling services at London Stansted Airport, after it suffered a cyber security incident.
The MoD confirmed that the compromised information was limited to emails and that no government systems had been directly affected. Affected individuals were contacted via email by the Afghan resettlement team, warning them of potential exposure of their personal information.
Previous Breach Exposed Nearly 19,000 Afghans
This latest Afghan data breach comes just a year after a 2022 MoD mishandling incident, in which a spreadsheet containing the details of nearly 19,000 Afghan applicants under the ARAP scheme was mistakenly leaked. Many of those affected were forced into hiding or secretly relocated to avoid Taliban retaliation.
Charities and security experts have called the recurring breaches “astonishing” and “deeply embarrassing” for the British government. Professor Sara de Jong of the Sulha Alliance, which supports Afghans who worked with UK forces, warned that such errors only increase the risks faced by those who already sacrificed for Britain.
Calls for Urgent Action from the MoD
In response, the government stressed that there was no evidence the compromised data had been made public. However, critics, including former UK National Security Adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant, said the repeated failures highlight “inadequate security standards” and demanded an independent investigation.
Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson Helen Maguire described the situation as “staggering incompetence” and called for immediate accountability. Meanwhile, affected families, some already facing deportation from third countries such as Pakistan, have pleaded with the UK to honour its relocation commitments and protect them from Taliban reprisals.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been informed of the breach, and investigations are ongoing.
