Picture: Elite UK Forces. SAS soliders

The identities of 20 members of Britan’s special forces have been published online.

Their names and ranks were mistakenly revealed in a major breach of security.

Some of the soldiers are thought to be on live operations.

The documents were published online without password protection.

The Sunday Times alerted the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to the gross security error.

The MoD quickly removed the two publications.

Those named have been told of the breach.

The forces include the Army’s Special Air Services (SAS) and the Navy’s Special Boat Service (SBS).

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat – who served in Iraq and Afghanistan – told The Sunday Times:

“Thirty years ago, terrorism coming from Northern Ireland made us all aware of operational security at home.

“It’s clear that some of those lessons need to be learnt again.”

The MoD said: “The safety of our personnel is of paramount importance and we take data security extremely seriously.

“Where we become aware of any potential risk, we will always take immediate action.”