Afghan Rulers Employed Abandoned UK Technology to Track Down Local Nationals That Served With Western Forces, Inquiry Hears

A confidential source has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure classified devices permitting the militant group to track down Afghans who collaborated with western forces.

Information Leak Endangers Thousands in Danger

The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the data leak were advised to change residences and alter their contact details to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.

MPs are currently examining the UK government's handling of a catastrophic leak of personal details concerning nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to the United Kingdom to flee the Taliban.

The Information Breach Occurred

A spreadsheet containing confidential details, such as identities, addresses and occasionally family information, was mistakenly released by a staff member stationed at UK special forces headquarters in last year.

The breach was discovered only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had requested to move to Britain surfaced on social media.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be this misconception that Afghan rulers are without the same sort of facilities that allied forces use,” Person A informed the committee.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have a contact number, they are able to track your exact position. That's precisely what specialized teams achieved.”

During testimony about regarding if authorities possessed advanced decryption, Person A stated: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Initial findings provided to the committee suggested that at least 49 family members and colleagues of Afghans affected by the breach had been killed.

A superinjunction about the breach was put in force in August 2023 and blocked relevant facts about it from being made public until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the aid group she was working with advised Afghan families they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that mobile communications had been compromised”.

“We recommended that they moved if they could and switched their phone numbers. These represented the crucial data that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would cause identification and capture,” she said.

Challenged Assessments

Person A disputed that internal investigation carried out by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to conclude that the obtaining of the dataset by the regime was “not significantly alter present danger”.

“The thing to remember is that affected people are in hiding from militant forces; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”

The source explained disturbing treatment endured by affected individuals, comprising electrocution, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.

“Instances include toddlers who have had bones crushed to pressure relatives to say where someone is,” Person A stated.