The Taliban have handed Afghan officials whose names they found in a leaked UK government spreadsheet to Iran in a bid to improve relations between the two, according to a report.
The report, published by The Telegraph on Thursday, claims that three Afghans suspected of spying for the UK during the 20-year US-led war in the country are being held in Kabul awaiting a handover to Iran.
The three were previously held in Kandahar, a stronghold of the Taliban leadership, and were flown to Kabul, Afghanistan's administrative capital, after being chosen by personnel from Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) who suspected them of being spies.
A UK government spreadsheet containing the names of of 25,000 Afghans who applied to be resettled in the UK was leaked in February 2022. Those on the list included soldiers, interpreters, and people who worked with UK special forces during the war.
Reportage of the leak had been placed under a super-injunction in 2023, stopping the press from publishing information about the scandal, although this was lifted last July.
The three detainees are believed to have been named on the list.
According to The Telegraph, Afghan and Iranian officials came to an agreement regarding the transfer, which would also see intelligence sharing between the two countries.
Iran will reportedly use the Afghans accused of spying as leverage against the UK, which has been threatening "snapback sanctions" over the country's nuclear programme and cutting of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Likewise, the Taliban is looking to get diplomatic recognition of its government, which has faced international isolation since it took power in Kabul four years ago.
As well as the three set to be transferred, another 13 are believed to be held in a house in Kandahar.
Amid the agreement, however, splits emerged within the Taliban leadership, with interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani arguing that rather than sending the detainees to Iran, the three should be used as bargaining chips against the UK government.
Other members of the Taliban also opposed the move over Iran's treatment of Afghan refugees, who are being sent back to the country in the thousands by both Iran and Pakistan.
The leadership in Kandahar, however, affirmed its commitment to the decision, saying it could lead to Iranian diplomatic recognition.
Over 36,000 Afghans have been relocated to the UK through resettlement schemes since the Taliban's takeover.