British Afghan leak

Afghanistan and Iran want to pressure London with the list

Afghanistan and Iran want to use the leaked list of people who have sought asylum in Britain to pressure the country in diplomatic negotiations. This is what Afghan sources tell The Telegraph.

In July, it was revealed that a massive data leak revealed the identities of 25,000 Afghans who helped Britain's efforts in the country and then sought asylum there.

- The order is to arrest as many individuals as possible to use them as a tool for diplomatic pressure on England, says an Afghan source.

Iran, for its part, wants to have access to the leaked list and, above all, arrest people who worked for the intelligence organization MI6. They hope to use these to pressure Britain in upcoming talks about Iran's nuclear energy program.

Iran wants leaked list – to hunt MI6 agents

Iran's Revolutionary Guard wants to get hold of the leaked list of Afghans who helped Britain, in order to be able to search for MI6 agents. This is reported by The Telegraph.

Earlier in July, it was revealed that information about 25,000 Afghans who sought asylum in Britain had been leaked. The list includes soldiers, special forces and intelligence sources who helped the British military in various ways. Now Iran has asked the Taliban in Afghanistan to share the list in order to hunt down people who helped the British intelligence organization MI6, sources tell the Telegraph. The agents are then hoped to be able to be used to pressure Britain in negotiations.

Several of those on the list are said to have fled to Iran. At least one person has already been handed over to Kabul, which according to the newspaper indicates cooperation between the countries.

British Afghan Leak – What Happened

A list from 2022 was leaked that revealed the personal details of around 25,000 Afghans and British elite soldiers who had collaborated with the UK.

The leak led to thousands of Afghans risking reprisals from the Taliban and several were forced to leave their homes or were killed.

The UK started a secret relocation program in which at least 900 Afghans and 3,600 family members were moved to the country.

At least 1,000 Afghans have demanded compensation from the British government, but the Ministry of Defence opposes the claims.

The ban on reporting on the leak was lifted in July 2025, leading to political debate and accusations of a cover-up.