A memory stick containing files on the Dutch military mission to Afghanistan was lost just as the Parliament is set to give the go ahead for the deployment, local TV RTL reported on Thursday.

The confidential information concerns the rules of engagement for Dutch troops in Afghanistan and the personal protection of Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp.

A captain in the Air Force, who had spent five months in Afghanistan, left the unencrypted USB stick in a rented car two weeks ago.

Two young men managed to get hold of the stick and sent a copy of its contents to RTL News.

The captain, according to RTL, said nothing about the incident and it only came to light when RTL received the information.

This is the second incident in a short space of time in which the ministry of defense has been confronted with "excessive carelessness" with secret information.

Two weeks ago the ministry reported to the police the loss of a memory stick containing sensitive information of the military intelligence agency MIVD. It was not clear whether the stick had been lost or stolen.

Source: Xinhua