A whistleblower has told an official investigation that the UK failed to secure sensitive devices enabling Afghanistan's rulers to track down Afghans that had served with international military.
The source, identified as Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the information breach were told to change residences and switch their mobile numbers to protect themselves from militant forces.
Lawmakers are currently examining official response of a serious leak of private information affecting approximately 19k individuals who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom to flee the Taliban.
A spreadsheet including their personal data, such as identities, addresses and occasionally household data, was mistakenly released by a staff member working at UK special forces headquarters in early 2022.
The leak became known in late 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had requested to move to the UK appeared on online platforms.
Many believe there's a false assumption that militant forces lack similar capabilities that allied forces use,” the whistleblower testified to the committee.
“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. If they have a contact number, they are able to track you down to within metres. That is what specialized teams did.”
When questioned about regarding if authorities owned necessary encryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They possess all resources.”
Early investigations submitted to the investigation indicated that at least 49 family members and co-workers of Afghans affected by the leak had been executed.
A gag order about the leak was implemented in August 2023 and prevented all details regarding the matter from public disclosure until recently.
Given injunction limitations, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she was working with advised Afghan families they were assisting that they had “concerns that certain devices had been breached”.
“We advised that they moved when possible and altered their mobile numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, should militant forces obtained such data, would result in their location being found,” she said.
Person A contested that government assessment carried out by a former official had been mistaken to conclude that the possession of the records by militant forces was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.
“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are in hiding from the authorities; they remain concealed. The primary issue involves former occupations.”
The source explained disturbing abuse endured by affected individuals, including electrocution, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.
“Instances include four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to force households to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.
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