When Abdullah received an email from the British government saying his details had been included in the military data leak, it became “the worst day in all time”.
Speaking from Afghanistan, where he is in hiding, Abdullah fears he will be tortured and killed.
“The people I trusted for my safety have now created this risk for me,” said Abdullah, whose name has been changed for security reasons. He had applied to come to the UK with his wife and children under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) after the Taliban swept to power in August 2021.
“This is the worst day in all time because I’m very scared. After hearing this news and receiving this email I haven’t eaten, I haven’t [had a] drink, and I’m just thinking about me and my family’s security because I had sent to the UK government our photos, our home address, our everything and now I’m very scared for our safety.”
Adnan Malik, the head of data protection at Barings Law, which is representing about 1,000 of the victims, said some of those listed on the leaked database have had to go into hiding in Afghanistan, while others had been killed in targeted attacks. The law firm is now working with some of those affected to pursue potential legal action.
“We are aware of incidents where there are individuals who are named on the list that they have been killed. And based on our research and understanding … it was an attack towards an individual who the perpetrator knew assisted the UK armed forces,” Malik said.
That is Abdullah’s greatest fear. “I’m in Afghanistan currently and if this information is leaked, the current Afghanistan regime – they will find me and torture me and it’s a risk for my life,” he said. “I’m very concerned about myself and other people who are included in this data breach. I’m very sad. I thought the British government was very strong and now I’m in a very different situation.”
The correspondence Abdullah and others received from the UK government, sent in English, Pashto and Dari, warned that the recipient’s email address had been used to make a resettlement application and that some personal data may have been compromised.
It advised the recipient to “limit who can see your social media profiles and not accept friend/follow requests from individuals you do not know and trust”. It also urged the recipient not to take phone calls or respond to messages or emails from unknown contacts.
“As some applications included the personal data of others (including family and dependents) you should assume that their data may also be compromised, and they should exercise the same precautions,” it added.
Abdullah, who is being represented by the law firm Leigh Day, said his only hope is that the British government now speeds up his application.
Ahmed, a former soldier who conducted operations in Afghanistan with British troops, said he wept when he realised his details were included in the dataset.
He came to the UK with his wife and children under the Arap scheme after the fall of Kabul in August 2021, but many of his relatives are still in Afghanistan.
Shortly after his arrival in the UK, his two younger brothers – one of whom had been involved in military operations – tried to flee the Taliban after the family home was raided but the pair were shot dead at the Iranian border.
Ahmed, whose name has been changed for security reasons, said the leak included his Arap application number, which he had used to make a case for his wider family.
“I was very worried and I started crying,” he said, describing the moment he realised he was a victim. “I thought everything is safe here. We did a lot of operations with British troops. I’m afraid. I’m worried about my brother and wife’s family and my colleagues because lots are in Afghanistan still. These things happen. The Taliban killed a lot of my friends as well.”
He added: “I have a request to the British government: please don’t forget about our colleagues. A bad situation is going to happen in a couple of months if they don’t bring them here.”
Prof Sara de Jong, a founding member of the Sulha Alliance, which helps ex-interpreters and others who worked for Britain, said it was “incredibly concerning” that the Ministry of Defence routinely asked Afghans for the most sensitive of personal data but couldn’t be trusted with data protection.
“It is a horrible irony that the UK government had to save Afghans from their own data blunder, instead of prioritising those who are the Taliban’s prime target,” she said.
“The vast amount of resource to cover up this error, could have been much better spent. For example, we see inexcusable delays in processing applications for family members at severe risk and many injured interpreters never received compensation.”
