Taliban claims it has had the 'kill list' for years and is hunting down Afghans named
The Taliban has claimed that it has had the leaked list of Afghans who helped Britain for years and has been hunting down those named.
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As LBC exclusively revealed yesterday, the leaked Ministry of Defence (MoD) list exposed the details of thousands of Afghans who had applied for asylum under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) — a scheme that offers sanctuary in the UK to Afghans who supported British military operations during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Between 80,000 and 100,000 people, including the estimated number of family members of the ARAP applicants, were affected by the breach and could be at risk of harassment, torture or death if the Taliban obtained their data, judges said in June 2024.
The News Agents’ and LBC presenter Lewis Goodall was barred from reporting it and initially forbidden from even informing his editor. Court hearings were held in secret, with even media lawyers excluded from "closed sessions."
The MoD sought and was granted a contra mundum superinjunction - a rare legal order that not only barred publication of the story but also prevented anyone from revealing that an injunction even existed. In court, it was described as "constitutionally unprecedented."
Read more: What are superinjunctions and why was Afghan relocation ruling unprecedented?
A senior Taliban official has told The Telegraph that they have had access to the list since 2022.
"We got the list from the internet during the very first days when it was leaked," the official said.
"A special unit has been launched to find them and make sure they do not work with Britain.
"We’ve been calling and visiting their family members to track them down.
“Senior figures in the establishment in Kandahar are pressuring officials in Kabul to find them. They believe these individuals are still working with the British, and say the problem must be dealt with."
The injunction was originally presented as a short-term emergency measure to protect lives while the government identified and helped those most at risk.
But subsequent hearings revealed that the number of people the MoD planned on assisting was just 200 individuals, plus their dependents - a fraction of those affected. Eventually, though there is some dispute about the figures, at least 6,900 people have now been brought over as a result of the breach.
Read more: How the UK silenced a scandal: My two year battle to reveal the truth by Lewis Goodall
A second official went on to say that their hunt for those named has increased in recent months, and names have been handed over to border forces to stop them from leaving the country.
"The border forces have had the list for the past few months and have orders not to let anyone leave.
"These people are seen as traitors, and the plan has been to find as many of them as possible.
"Whoever leaked that file is actually helping us. There may be a general amnesty in place, but spies cannot escape justice."