Iran has requested the Taliban provide the ’kill list’ of Afghans leaked in a devastating Ministry of Defence data breach so that the Tehran regime can locate MI6 spies, according to claims.
Last month, LBC exclusively revealed that a leaked Ministry of Defence (MoD) list disclosed details of thousands of Afghans who had applied for asylum under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)—a program offering sanctuary in the UK to Afghans who supported British military operations during the conflict.
The spreadsheet included MI6 spies, special forces personnel, and members of the SAS, defence sources have previously told LBC.
The Iranian regime now seeks access—and this coincides with its efforts to gain leverage over the West before nuclear negotiations this autumn.
A senior Iranian official in Tehran confirmed to the Telegraph that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) formally requested the Taliban government hand over the leaked list.
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The search will prioritize MI6 intelligence assets, it is understood.
“On the Iranian side, there are also efforts to find the list, with a special committee assigned for it.
“Discussions have occurred on cooperation between Tehran and Kabul concerning this issue, as it can aid both countries in negotiations with the West,” the official is quoted in the Telegraph as saying.
Taliban leadership in Kandahar has instructed officers in Kabul to arrest as many individuals as possible from the leaked document, using them as leverage to exert diplomatic pressure on the UK, according to the newspaper.
The Taliban has already claimed to have possessed the leaked list of Afghans who assisted Britain for years and has been pursuing those named.
"We acquired the list from the internet during the early days when it was leaked," an official stated.
"A special unit has been established to locate them and ensure they do not collaborate with Britain.
"We have been contacting and visiting their family members to track them down.
"Senior figures in Kandahar’s establishment are pressuring officials in Kabul to find them. They believe these individuals still work with the British and say the issue must be addressed."
Between 80,000 and 100,000 people, including family members of the ARAP applicants, were impacted by the breach and could face harassment, torture, or death should their data fall into Taliban hands, judges stated in June 2024.
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The News Agents’ and LBC presenter Lewis Goodall was prohibited from reporting it and initially barred from informing his editor. Court sessions were conducted in secret, excluding even media lawyers from "closed sessions."
The MoD secured a contra mundum superinjunction—a rare legal order that not only prohibited the story’s publication but also barred anyone from revealing the injunction’s existence. In court, it was described as “constitutionally unprecedented.”
The injunction was initially implemented as a short-term emergency measure to protect lives while the government identified and assisted those most at risk.
But subsequent hearings disclosed that the MoD planned on assisting only 200 individuals and their dependents—a small portion of those affected. However, numbers are debated, with at least 6,900 people now relocated due to the breach.
Currently, around 4,500 people—consisting of 900 ARAP applicants and about 3,600 family members—have been relocated to the UK or are transiting through the Afghanistan Response Route.
An estimated additional 600 people and their relatives are expected to be relocated before the program ends, bringing the total to approximately 6,900 individuals by the program’s conclusion.
The MoD reports that the cost of relocating the 6,900 due to the data breach will be £800m. However, submissions seen in court suggest that the total cost of Afghan relocations may now reach approximately £7 billion.
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