Afghan Rulers Used Left-Behind British Equipment to Track Down Afghans That Served With Western Forces, Investigation Is Told
A confidential source has told an official investigation that the UK left behind sensitive equipment permitting Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals who worked with western forces.
Information Leak Puts Thousands at Risk
The whistleblower, identified as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were advised to change residences and switch their mobile numbers to protect themselves from militant forces.
Members of Parliament are investigating official handling of a serious breach of confidential data involving almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to move to the UK to flee the Taliban.
The Information Breach Was Discovered
A data file including confidential details, such as identities, addresses and sometimes family information, was accidentally leaked by a staff member employed at British military command in early 2022.
The leak came to light months later, when details of several individuals who had sought to move to the UK appeared on online platforms.
Militant Technology
“There seems to be a misunderstanding that the Taliban do not have the same sort of facilities that we have,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.
“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire mobile details, they can trace your precise location. That is what intelligence groups did.”
When questioned about if militant forces possessed advanced decryption, Person A declared: “They've got everything.”
Impact of the Security Lapse
Preliminary research provided to the inquiry suggested that at least 49 family members and associates of people concerned by the leak had been murdered.
A gag order concerning the incident was put in force in last year and prevented relevant facts about it from media reporting until recently.
Protective Actions
Because she was restricted, Person A and the volunteer organization she collaborated with informed individuals at risk they were working with that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been compromised”.
“We recommended that they moved when possible and altered their phone numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would result in their location being found,” she said.
Disputed Conclusions
The whistleblower argued that an official review carried out by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to determine that the obtaining of the dataset by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.
“The crucial point is that these Afghans are in hiding from militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves past work history.”
Person A described disturbing abuse suffered by affected individuals, involving electrocution, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.
“We have had four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to force relatives to reveal locations,” Person A stated.
