Thousands of Afghans, including many who worked with British forces, have been secretly resettled in the U.K. after a leak of data on their identities raised fears that the Taliban could target them.

Relatives of Afghans whose names were accidentally leaked by a UK official three years ago have told the BBC they fear retribution by the country's Taliban rulers. Rahim - not his real name - says his father-in-law learned on Tuesday that his name was on that list - alongside those of thousands of Afghans who had applied to be relocated to the UK after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Britain set up a secret scheme to bring thousands of Afghans to the UK after their personal details were disclosed in one of the country’s worst ever data breaches, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban after their return to power.

Germany has deported 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, signaling a major shift in migration policy under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government. The Interior Ministry confirmed the flight departed Friday morning,

Germany said Friday it had deported 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes to their Taliban-controlled homeland, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government looks to signal a hard line on immigration.But Berlin resumed expulsions last year when the previous government of Social Democrat (SPD) chancellor Olaf Scholz expelled 28 convicted Afghans,