🔗 Share this article

A whistleblower has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned confidential devices allowing Afghanistan's rulers to track down local individuals that had served with international military.

Information Leak Endangers Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, called Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the information breach were told to move homes and switch their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.

Lawmakers are investigating the UK government's handling of a catastrophic disclosure of private information involving approximately 19k Afghans who had applied to move to the UK to escape the regime.

The Information Breach Occurred

A spreadsheet containing confidential details, including names, contact details and in some cases family information, was inadvertently disclosed by a worker stationed at special operations center in February 2022.

The breach was discovered months later, when details of multiple applicants who had requested to relocate to the UK appeared on social media.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that militant forces are without similar capabilities that we have,” Person A informed MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain your phone number, they can locate your exact position. That is what the unit did.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban owned necessary encryption, the source stated: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Security Lapse

Early investigations presented to the inquiry estimated that at least 49 relatives and associates of people concerned by the breach had been murdered.

A superinjunction concerning the leak was put in force in last year and blocked relevant facts regarding the matter from media reporting until mid-2025.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, Person A and the aid group she was working with informed affected households they were assisting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“We recommended that they relocate where feasible and switched their mobile numbers. These represented the crucial data that, if the Taliban acquired this information, would cause their location being found,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

The source disputed that government assessment carried out by a retired civil servant had been wrong to conclude that the obtaining of the records by the Taliban was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that affected people are not standing up to the authorities; they live secretly. The primary issue involves former occupations.”

She detailed terrible treatment experienced by concerned people, including electrocution, simulated drowning, and severe beatings.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to try to get households to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.