Afghan Rulers Used Left-Behind UK Equipment to Track Down Afghans Who Worked With Western Forces, Investigation Is Told
An informant has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned sensitive equipment allowing the militant group to locate local individuals who worked with allied troops.
Information Leak Endangers Thousands at Risk
The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the information breach were instructed to relocate and switch their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the Taliban.
Members of Parliament are currently examining the Conservative government's handling of a catastrophic breach of private information affecting nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom to escape militant rule.
How the Leak Occurred
A data file containing their personal data, such as identities, addresses and occasionally relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member employed at British military command in early 2022.
The incident came to light months later, when identities of multiple applicants who had sought to relocate to the UK appeared on social media.
Regime's Resources
“There seems to be a false assumption that militant forces lack the same sort of facilities that allied forces use,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers.
Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire a contact number, they are able to track your exact position. That is what intelligence groups achieved.”
During testimony about regarding if authorities had access to advanced decryption, the whistleblower declared: “They have complete capability.”
Impact of the Information Leak
Early investigations presented to the inquiry indicated that approximately fifty kin and colleagues of individuals impacted by the leak had been killed.
A legal restriction regarding the breach was enacted in August 2023 and restricted all details regarding the matter from being made public until July 2025.
Safety Measures
Because she was restricted, Person A and the aid group associated with informed Afghan families they were supporting that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been breached”.
“We recommended that they change residence where feasible and altered their mobile numbers. Those were the primary information that, should militant forces had access to these details, would result in identification and capture,” Person A explained.
Challenged Assessments
Person A argued that government assessment performed by a former official had been mistaken to conclude that the acquisition of the information by the regime was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.
“The thing to remember is that these individuals are in hiding from the authorities; they live secretly. All concerns relate to past work history.”
Person A described disturbing abuse endured by affected individuals, comprising electrocution, waterboarding, and violent assaults.
“There are cases of four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” Person A stated.
