Former UK Defense Secretary Acknowledges Possible Taliban Entry Amid Afghanistan Evacuation
Former British Defense Secretary Sir Ben Wallace has stated that during the rushed evacuation of Afghan citizens following the fall of Kabul in 2021, it cannot be assured that all individuals relocated to the UK underwent thorough security screening.
According to The Telegraph, these remarks were made on Wednesday evening, December 22, during Sir Ben Wallace’s testimony before the UK House of Commons Defence Committee. The session was held as part of an investigation into the 2022 data leak involving Afghan collaborators with the UK.
He emphasized that in a large-scale and emergency evacuation operation, mistakes are possible, and despite efforts by responsible agencies to conduct necessary checks, he cannot categorically rule out that some individuals entered the UK without completing full security criteria.
The report notes this issue arises amid a data leak of Afghan collaborators’ information in the UK, which forced the government to relocate thousands more people to prevent Taliban reprisals — a move that has cost around £850 million.
Furthermore, plans for resettling Afghans in the UK included three separate schemes initially estimated to cost up to £7 billion, though the UK Ministry of Defence later revised this estimate to between £5.5 and £6 billion.
In response to parliamentary questions on the possibility of Taliban members entering the UK, Sir Ben Wallace said that having left the defence ministry, he could not provide specific details about certain resettlement pathways, especially in later stages.
Following the US troop withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, widespread security and humanitarian concerns emerged, with thousands of Afghans who had worked alongside British forces and institutions forced to seek asylum — a situation with ongoing consequences.
