Iran has urged the Taliban to reveal the “kill list” of Afghans accidentally leaked by the Ministry of Defence so it can hunt down MI6 spies, reports suggest.
Tehran hopes to examine a group of 25,000 Afghans who worked with British forces during the UK's military presence in Afghanistan during the 2000s and early 2010s.
It comes after a leaked MoD database exposed the details of thousands of Afghans who had applied for asylum under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
Up to 100,000 people, including family members of ARAP applicants, were affected by the breach and could be at risk of torture or death.
Members of the Special Air Service (SAS) were also included in the spreadsheet, according to defence sources.
According to The Daily Telegraph, a senior Iranian official confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) formally requested that the Taliban pass over the list as scrambles to gain leverage over the West ahead of nuclear negotiations this autumn.
The source said: “On the Iranian side, there are also efforts to find the list, with a special committee assigned for it.
“There have been discussions on cooperation between Tehran and Kabul on this issue as it can help both countries for negotiations with the West.”
Taliban leaders in the southern city of Kandahar have also told authorities in the capital Kabul to arrest as many people as possible included in the document.
The Taliban already claims that it has had a list of Afghans who helped Britain during the United States-led conflict between 2004 and 2014.
"We got the list from the internet during the very first days when it was leaked," an official said. “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. Senior figures in the establishment in Kandahar are pressuring officials in Kabul to find them. They believe these individuals are still working with the British, and say the problem must be dealt with."
In 2021, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, taking over the country following the withdrawal of United States and NATO forces.
