Wednesday, July 16

A secret plan to move thousands of Afghans to the United Kingdom was revealed yesterday after a government official accidentally leaked the information, possibly endangering thousands of others.

Ever since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, the country has been under the strict rule of the Taliban, who have been designated a terrorist organization by several nations. They have been widely criticized for their extremely strict implementation of Sharia Law, the Islamic way of life, specifically regarding women. In Afghanistan, girls cannot attend school past 6th grade and are prohibited from attending university, they are excluded from most professions, they must wear a full-body covering, and are banned from most public spaces, among other things.

Due to the organization's fearmongering tactics and brutal punishments, many Afghans have applied to move to other countries, particularly the United Kingdom. After the Taliban took control, tens of thousands of people applied to move to the UK from Afghanistan, taking part in the country's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). Over the past few years, at least 36,000 Afghans have shifted to the UK, sparking outrage among many British politicians. Unfortunately, the data of over 19,000 people was leaked in 2022 in a major error-- and the government did not find out for another year and a half.

To protect the citizens who may have been at risk, the British government quickly set up a secret program to move Afghans who had been on the original list, with 4,500 Afghans being moved to the UK over the past year. Additionally, at least 600 Afghan soldiers and 1,800 of their family members remain in Afghanistan, putting their livelihoods in jeopardy due to the danger posed by the Taliban.

However, the entire initial leak and plot was kept under wraps after the British government received permission from a court to hide the information. Now, due to a crucial error by an official in the UK, their scheme has been leaked once again, endangering the lives of thousands of Afghans who could now face the wrath of the Taliban. They have instructed the individuals whose information was leaked to take caution in daily activities, especially online, to protect themselves.

Nevertheless, the UK has confirmed that they will go through with the rest of their plan, but they will end the program after it is complete-- this would allow everyone on the leaked list to enter the UK, but prevent any other Afghans from being added to the list. It does come at a cost, though-- the country has already spent over £400 million on the project, and completing it could cost upwards of another £400 million.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The world’s largest single-keyboard grand piano was built by a 15-year-old in New Zealand. The piano is almost 19 feet long and was built by Adrian Mann as an experiment with long piano wire to explore the sound of unwrapped bass strings.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome. That’s what defines your career. (Stan Musial)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Tantalize (verb, TAN-tuh-lyze) - To tantalize someone is to cause them to feel interest or excitement about something that is very attractive, appealing, etc.

In a Sentence: She was tantalized by the prospect of a big promotion.