The son of a soldier whose name appeared in the 2022 defence data leak has urged the UK Government to intervene with his family at risk of being sent back to Afghanistan
The son of an Afghan soldier who fought alongside British forces has called on the government to intervene after his father was detained by Pakistani authorities.
The soldier, whose name appeared in the 2022 defence data leak, is now at risk of being sent back to Afghanistan. His family is currently awaiting the outcome of their application to relocate to the UK under a resettlement scheme.
The names of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to resettle in the UK were inadvertently leaked in February 2022. Rayan, the son whose name was changed for his protection, explained his family has been in limbo in Pakistan since October 2024.
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He told BBC’s Newsnight: “My father, he survived many years with the British forces in Afghanistan. Shoulder to shoulder, they have fight against Taliban. First, he was a platinum commander. Later on, as a logistic officer, he worked with the ATF Triple Four. If, at the moment, they are giving them back, my father, to them, for sure this hope will be destroyed. And my family, all family members, will not survive anymore.
“My father and my family is one of those families that they are affected by data breach. And we have found that unfortunately, our family details data and all the names that were leaked and they have all the information about our families.”
Asked if he was risking his life speaking to the BBC, Rayan said it was his only option. He said: “It’s our only chance that we can reach our voice to the authorities of the UK, otherwise they will deport my family to Afghanistan. And after that, we are pretty sure that they will not be survived anymore. And I should accept this risk and I should share our story to everyone that can help us.
Now facing deportation back to Afghanistan, he said his message was simple: “Please help my family and avoid their murder by the Taliban.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said it does not comment on individual cases. It said: “We remain fully committed to honouring our commitments to all eligible people who pass their relevant checks for relocation.”
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