Afghans who risked their lives alongside British troops hit by ANOTHER personal data breach - the 50th in five years

By DAVID WILLIAMS and SAM GREENHILL, THE CHIEF REPORTER Published: 02:02, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 02:07, 22 August 2026 Afghans who risked their lives beside British troops have been hit by another data breach of their personal details – a staggering 50th leak in five years, the Daily Mail can reveal. News of yet another breach of details entrusted to the UK government at a time when the Taliban continues attacks on those who worked for Western Forces has been greeted with disbelief and anger by Afghans. One former frontline interpreter in hiding in Afghanistan called it 'a betrayal of our trust', another branded it 'shameful' while a former Afghan Special Forces soldier eligible to relocate to the UK but unable to escape warned 'mistakes risk lives.' Disturbingly, the breach happened just three months after the furore over the lifting of an unprecedented superinjunction which prevented news of a massive data leak from within the Ministry of Defence being revealed for almost two years. The latest breach centres on the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) which plays a pivotal role in the cases of Afghans and their families approved for sanctuary in the UK by the special relocations unit within the Ministry of Defence. Details of eligible Afghans, their families and contact points are sent to the IOM who then process their movement, biometric and TB checks initially in Pakistan and now in Tajikistan, the main gateway for relocation. The IOM is used by the government to oversee the movement, significantly reducing the role of British diplomats and caseworkers who in Pakistan were key to the transfer of thousands of Afghans promised new lives in the UK. IOM officials have the personal details, including contact numbers, emails and addresses of thousands of Afghans eligible under the relocation scheme, liaising with them in order to book flights to the UK and manage essential tests. The Daily Mail reveals that details of UK-aligned Afghans were compromised in a 50th data breach over five years. The latest breach involved the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which manages logistics, biometrics, and travel for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)  Details of that breach first discovered by the Daily Mail in August 2023 were kept secret by an unprecedented government superinjunction which was lifted only last month  The leak described as 'serious', happened during the transfer of data of Afghans waiting to fly to UK from Pakistan. Sources said on discovery, the IOM immediately informed all those whose data had been compromised, 'strengthening controls' on transfer of data having carried out an internal review. All the affected Afghans are now safely in the UK. This newspaper's award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign first reported leaks of the personal details of Afghans applying for sanctuary under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), the main relocation programme, within a month of the end of the RAF's evacuation of 15,000 people from Kabul in August 2021. Details of the latest leak can be revealed days after a scathing Parliamentary Inquiry into the decision by ministers to use the superinjunction to shut down democracy and hush up a devastating data leak. The Commons Defence Committee condemned the handling of the breach that put 100,000 Afghans at 'risk of death' and it is unclear if they were made aware of the latest leak involving the IOM. Details of that breach first discovered by the Daily Mail in August 2023 were kept secret by the superinjunction which was only lifted after a long court battle. The following month it emerged that the data of Afghans had been compromised 49 times in just four years by blundering defence officials who have refused to provide any details of the nature or scale of each breach. Some are known to be human error, others cyber hacks. Last August, personal data of former Tory ministers, British troops and thousands of Afghans were lost after a subcontractor handling services for flights at a London airport was compromised. News of the data breach comes at an especially difficult time for those who worked for the West as the Taliban mark five years this month since sweeping to power in Kabul and Afghans say new requirements introduced by the MoD for those eligible for relocation makes escape harder. A spokesman for the IOM confirmed the leak stressing it 'took immediate corrective action, strengthening internal controls', adding: 'The incident has been resolved and does not affect IOM's current operations.' A government spokesman described it as a 'limited incident' stressing: 'The risk to individuals is low and we have worked proactively with the IOM to ensure appropriate measures were in place and that those affected were informed.'