Afghan Rulers Employed Left-Behind UK Gear to Locate Afghans Who Worked With Western Troops, Investigation Is Told
A confidential source has told an official investigation that British authorities failed to secure confidential technology allowing Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals who worked with western forces.
Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk
The whistleblower, called Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were advised to move homes and switch their contact details to ensure their safety from the Taliban.
Lawmakers are investigating official management of a massive leak of private information affecting approximately 19k Afghans who had applied to come to the UK to escape militant rule.
Data Disclosure Was Discovered
A data file containing their personal data, including names, phone numbers and in some cases household data, was accidentally leaked by a staff member stationed at British military command in early 2022.
The breach was discovered only in August 2023, when identities of nine people who had requested to relocate to the UK surfaced on Facebook.
Regime's Resources
It appears there is this misconception that militant forces are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told 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's precisely what specialized teams achieved.”
Under inquiry about regarding if authorities possessed advanced decryption, the whistleblower declared: “They possess all resources.”
Aftermath of the Information Leak
Early investigations provided to the inquiry suggested that approximately fifty family members and colleagues of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.
A gag order regarding the breach was enacted in late 2023 and blocked any information regarding the matter from media reporting until recently.
Protective Actions
Given injunction limitations, Person A and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with advised individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “apprehensions that mobile communications had been compromised”.
“We recommended that they moved when possible and changed their contact details. These represented the primary information that, should militant forces acquired these details, would cause them being traced,” she said.
Challenged Assessments
The whistleblower contested that government assessment conducted by a retired civil servant had been wrong to conclude that the obtaining of the information by militant forces was “minimally impact current risk levels”.
“The important fact is that these Afghans are not confronting the authorities; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to past work history.”
The source explained horrific abuse experienced by concerned people, involving electrocution, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.
“We have had young kids who have had their arms broken to pressure relatives to say where someone is,” she testified.
