Around 100,000 were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names were revealed (Image: Getty)

       Defence chiefs are braced for a catastrophic ￡1billion compensation bill over a data breach which revealed Afghans who supported UK forces.

       Around 100,000 were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones' were revealed in 2022 — with the blunder then "covered up" by a UK gagging order.

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       Thousands could sue the MoD after the devastating leak was made public this week.

       Almost 900 Afghans on the "kill list" email leak are ready to sue — with lawyers saying thousands more are poised to join them reports The Sun.

       Legal sources claimed victims whose lives were endangered could be entitled "to five-figure payouts".

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       Adnan Malik, at Manchester firm Barings Law, which is representing nearly 900, said: "The victims have been exposed to not just financial harm, but the real threat of violence and death. In some cases, these threats have been tragically carried out. Monies claimed will vary substantially between claimants, we would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected."

       That could see the overall compensation bill pass ￡1billion.

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       Read more: Afghan data breach blunder prompted fears of Taliban ‘kill list’

       Special forces leak

       The February 2022 leak was caused by a Special Forces soldier who accidentally shared a list of 18,714 people who had applied to flee to Britain in the wake of the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

       The list included their last-known locations, how they served British forces, and in some instances who supported their claims — including MPs, Special Forces and spies.

       The leak, which included details of a "secret route" for some of those affected to come to the UK, was only discovered when excerpts were put on Facebook in August 2023.

       The next month, the Tory government used a superinjunction to stop journalists reporting the breach. It was extended until being lifted by a High Court judge this Tuesday.

       A defence source said yesterday: "People on that list had fought with British forces in Afghanistan. They fought against the Taliban. First of all we let the Taliban take over, and then when these people came to us for help we put their lives in even more danger."

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       Hunting people down

       Sir Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary at the time, insisted there was not a cover-up and the gagging order was to protect at-risk Afghans, and he made "no apology" for doing so.

       Sir Ben also said he applied for a four-month injunction and did not know why it was converted into a superinjunction in September 2023, when Grant Shapps had taken over as Defence Secretary.

       Ex-Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Shapps had questions to answer. Mr Shapps has yet to comment.

       Meanwhile, Zia Yusuf, head of Reform's Department of Government Efficiency, has launched a petition calling for an independent, judge-led inquiry.

       He said: "We want to know who made these decisions."

       Lawyers insisted the injunction was necessary to protect the lives of people who were named and at risk of Taliban reprisals.

       It included hundreds of Afghan Special Forces who had served in units known as the Triples, alongside Britain's SAS and SBS.

       The Triples conducted thousands of night raids against senior Taliban leaders and counter-narcotics operations.

       Taliban 'kill list'

       Last night, Taliban sources claimed they have had the list for years — and had been hunting down those on it.

       A Taliban official said: "We got the list from the internet during the first days when it was leaked. A special unit has been launched to find them and make sure they do not work with Britain. We've been calling and visiting their family members to track them down."

       In 2023, the Government launched a secret airlift, codenamed Operation Rubific, to smuggle around 4,500 people on the list to Britain.

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       They are among 34,000 Afghans who have been offered new lives in Britain since the Taliban takeover. That number is expected to rise to 43,000 and the Government predicts the total cost will be ￡7billion.

       An MoD spokesman yesterday insisted a ￡1billion compensation bill was "pure speculation".

       He said: "The Government inherited a deeply complex situation and since taking office, have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced. We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims and any we do get, we will fight them hard."

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