🔗 Share this article

A whistleblower has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK left behind classified devices enabling the militant group to identify Afghans who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Numerous at Risk

The source, known as Person A, testified that people concerned by the data leak were instructed to move homes and change their phone numbers to ensure their safety from the ruling authorities.

MPs are looking into the Conservative government's response of a massive breach of personal details involving almost nineteen thousand individuals who had requested to come to the UK to flee the Taliban.

How the Leak Was Discovered

A data file including their personal data, comprising names, phone numbers and in some cases family information, was accidentally leaked by a staff member stationed at special operations center in early 2022.

The incident became known in late 2023, when details of several individuals who had applied to relocate to the UK were posted on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is this misconception that Afghan rulers are without the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” she told MPs.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have a contact number, they can trace your precise location. That's precisely what intelligence groups accomplished.”

When questioned about if militant forces owned advanced decryption, Person A stated: “They've got everything.”

Consequences of the Information Leak

Early investigations submitted to the investigation indicated that no fewer than forty-nine family members and colleagues of Afghans affected by the breach had been killed.

A superinjunction regarding the breach was enacted in August 2023 and restricted all details regarding the matter from being made public until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she was working with advised affected households they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that certain devices had been breached”.

“We advised that they moved if they could and switched their contact details. Those were the two main details that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would lead to their location being found,” Person A explained.

Challenged Assessments

Person A argued that government assessment carried out by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to conclude that the acquisition of the dataset by the Taliban was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not standing up to the authorities; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to their previous employment.”

She detailed horrific abuse experienced by affected individuals, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and severe beatings.

“Instances include toddlers who have had limbs fractured to force households to disclose hiding places,” she testified.