🔗 Share this article Taliban Used Discarded UK Equipment to Track Down Afghans Who Worked With Allied Forces, Inquiry Hears A confidential source has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure confidential devices allowing the militant group to track down Afghans who worked with western forces. Information Leak Endangers Numerous in Danger The whistleblower, called Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the information breach were told to relocate and change their phone numbers to protect themselves from militant forces. Lawmakers are looking into the UK government's handling of a serious breach of personal details concerning almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to move to Britain to escape militant rule. The Information Breach Was Discovered A spreadsheet including private information, comprising names, phone numbers and occasionally family information, was mistakenly released by a worker employed at special operations center in last year. The breach was discovered only in August 2023, when details of several individuals who had requested to settle in the UK appeared on online platforms. Militant Technology Many believe there's a misunderstanding that the Taliban do not have similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told MPs. “We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have mobile details, they can trace your exact position. That is what the unit achieved.” When questioned about if militant forces owned necessary encryption, the source confirmed: “They have complete capability.” Consequences of the Information Leak Initial findings presented to the inquiry suggested that at least 49 kin and colleagues of people concerned by the incident had been killed. A legal restriction regarding the incident was enacted in late 2023 and restricted relevant facts about it from public disclosure until recently. Security Recommendations Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization associated with informed Afghan families they were working with that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been intercepted”. “We advised that they moved where feasible and switched their contact details. Those were the primary information that, if authorities had access to these details, would cause identification and capture,” the source testified. Contested Findings The whistleblower argued that government assessment conducted by an ex-government employee had been wrong to state that the acquisition of the information by militant forces was “minimally impact present danger”. “The crucial point is that affected people are in hiding from militant forces; they are in hiding. All concerns relate to their previous employment.” Person A described terrible violence endured by at-risk Afghans, comprising electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and severe beatings. “There are cases of toddlers who have had bones crushed to pressure households to reveal locations,” Person A stated.