Oops, Sensitive Documents Left At The British Embassy In Kabul, Dangering The Lives Of Local Workers

Illustration of British soldiers at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Twitter/@DefenceHQ)

JAKARTA - A sensitive document containing information on Afghan workers and job applicants has been found left behind at the British Embassy which was left by staff following the evacuation.

The documents were discovered by a journalist for The Times newspaper on Tuesday during a tour of the city's abandoned diplomatic quarter, accompanied by a Taliban patrol.

Quoting Sky News Friday, August 27, the discovery comes amid fears the Taliban will seek revenge against Afghans deemed to have helped Western allies during the country's 20-year war.

Containing sensitive information, the documents included the name and address of a senior embassy staff member, other staff members and their details, according to the newspaper. It also includes CVs and addresses of Afghans applying for jobs as translators, some of which list work experience with other Western countries.

The Times said it had dialed the contact number and found several people had been taken to the UK, but some had been abandoned. Three Afghan staff and eight family members, including five children, have been trapped in a crowd outside Kabul airport, unable to reach the British-held part.

However, they were eventually found and saved. It is not clear what happened to at least two job applicants. other.

Separately, the Commonwealth Office for Foreign Development (FCDO) said staff had tried to destroy sensitive material before leaving the embassy.

"We have worked tirelessly to secure the safety of those who work for us in Afghanistan and continue to do so. Most importantly, we are now able to save these three families," a spokesman said.

"The withdrawal of our embassy was carried out swiftly as the situation in Kabul was deteriorating. Every effort was made to destroy sensitive material," he continued.

Following this discovery, the Foreign Office has defended the Kabul embassy staff. However, the Election Committee for Foreign Affairs will launch an investigation into this matter.

"We have worked tirelessly to secure the safety of those who work for us including rescuing three families. The withdrawal of our Embassy was swift as the situation in Kabul deteriorated. Every effort was made to destroy sensitive material," the FCDO said.

Meanwhile, foreign affairs election committee chairman Tom Tugendhat said an investigation into the incident would be launched.

"How @FCDOGovUK handles this crisis will be the subject of an upcoming @CommonsForeign investigation. Evidence is already in," he wrote on Twitter.