Taliban Used Abandoned UK Equipment to Track Down Afghans That Served With Western Troops, Inquiry Is Told
An informant has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned sensitive devices permitting the Taliban to track down Afghans who collaborated with allied troops.
Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger
The source, identified as Person A, stated that Afghans affected by the data leak were instructed to relocate and alter their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.
MPs are looking into the UK government's management of a massive leak of confidential data involving nearly 19,000 individuals who had asked to move to the United Kingdom to escape militant rule.
How the Leak Was Discovered
An electronic document containing confidential details, such as identities, phone numbers and occasionally household data, was mistakenly released by a staff member working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.
The breach came to light only in August 2023, when details of multiple applicants who had requested to relocate to Britain surfaced on online platforms.
Taliban Capabilities
“There seems to be a misunderstanding that Afghan rulers are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told MPs.
All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire mobile details, they can locate your precise location. This is exactly how intelligence groups accomplished.”
When questioned about regarding if authorities possessed advanced decryption, Person A confirmed: “They possess all resources.”
Impact of the Information Leak
Early investigations provided to the investigation indicated that at least 49 relatives and associates of people concerned by the breach had been murdered.
A gag order about the leak was implemented in late 2023 and blocked all details concerning it from being made public until recently.
Protective Actions
Given injunction limitations, Person A and the volunteer organization she collaborated with informed Afghan families they were supporting that they had “apprehensions that certain devices had been breached”.
“We advised that they change residence where feasible and changed their phone numbers. Those were the two main details that, if authorities acquired such data, would cause them being traced,” Person A explained.
Disputed Conclusions
The source disputed that internal investigation performed by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to state that the obtaining of the records by militant forces was “minimally impact current risk levels”.
“The important fact is that affected people are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. Everything boils down to former occupations.”
Person A described horrific violence experienced by concerned people, including electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.
“There are cases of toddlers who have had limbs fractured to force relatives to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.
