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A confidential source has told the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK left behind classified equipment allowing the Taliban to identify local individuals who collaborated with international military.

Information Leak Puts Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, called Person A, explained that people concerned by the data leak were instructed to move homes and alter their contact details to ensure their safety from the ruling authorities.

Members of Parliament are looking into the Conservative government's handling of a catastrophic disclosure of personal details affecting almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had applied to relocate to the UK to escape the Taliban.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

A spreadsheet with private information, comprising names, addresses and sometimes family information, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member stationed at British military command in early 2022.

The breach came to light in late 2023, when details of nine people who had requested to relocate to the UK appeared on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be a false assumption that the Taliban are without similar capabilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to the committee.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire a contact number, they can trace your precise location. This is exactly how specialized teams did.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban had access to sophisticated technology, the source stated: “They've got everything.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Early investigations submitted to the investigation suggested that at least 49 kin and associates of individuals impacted by the breach had been executed.

A gag order about the breach was put in force in late 2023 and prevented all details regarding the matter from media reporting until recently.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization associated with told individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been breached”.

“Our suggestion was that they moved if they could and changed their contact details. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban obtained this information, would lead to their location being found,” Person A explained.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower contested that government assessment conducted by a former official had been incorrect to state that the possession of the information by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are in hiding from militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves past work history.”

She detailed horrific abuse endured by affected individuals, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” Person A stated.