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2mo ago

UK Reveals and Suspends Secret Afghan Resettlement Route

Defence Secretary John Healey attributes the closure to an independent review finding minimal Taliban reprisal threat alongside a near £850 million cost.

Soldados británicos en Kabul, la capital de Afganistán, en 2020. El reconocimiento de la filtración de datos se produce en un momento en el que la inmigración es un tema delicado en la política británica. Crédito... Omar Sobhani/Reuters
La ministra de Economía británica, Rachel Reeves.
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Overview

  • On July 15, Defence Secretary John Healey lifted a court-approved super-injunction concealing the Afghan Response Route and announced its suspension.
  • The covert scheme has relocated about 4,500 Afghans—900 applicants and roughly 3,600 family members—since autumn 2023, with up to 6,900 expected before closure.
  • An independent review found minimal evidence of Taliban reprisals against resettled collaborators, underpinning the decision to end the program.
  • The government has spent at least £850 million on the secret operation, igniting debate over transparency and public spending.
  • The program was launched after a February 2022 Ministry of Defence data breach exposed personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghan collaborators.