Taliban Used Discarded British Gear to Track Down Afghans Who Worked With Western Troops, Inquiry Is Told
A confidential source has disclosed an official investigation that the UK failed to secure classified devices allowing the militant group to locate Afghans who collaborated with international military.
Information Leak Endangers Numerous in Danger
Person A, called Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the information breach were instructed to relocate and switch their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.
Members of Parliament are currently examining official management of a massive breach of confidential data involving approximately 19k Afghans who had asked to move to the UK to escape the regime.
How the Leak Was Discovered
An electronic document including private information, comprising names, contact details and in some cases relative details, was accidentally leaked by a staff member working at British military command in February 2022.
The breach came to light in late 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had requested to settle in Britain were posted on Facebook.
Regime's Resources
“There seems to be this misconception that militant forces are without similar capabilities that we have,” Person A informed MPs.
“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have a contact number, they can locate your exact position. That's precisely what intelligence groups achieved.”
During testimony about if militant forces possessed sophisticated technology, Person A declared: “They've got everything.”
Aftermath of the Information Leak
Initial findings submitted to the inquiry estimated that no fewer than forty-nine kin and colleagues of Afghans affected by the leak had been murdered.
A legal restriction about the breach was implemented in late 2023 and prevented any information regarding the matter from public disclosure until July 2025.
Protective Actions
Given injunction limitations, Person A and the aid group she collaborated with informed individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been breached”.
“We recommended that they change residence where feasible and switched their mobile numbers. That constituted the primary information that, should militant forces had access to these details, would result in them being traced,” the source testified.
Contested Findings
Person A argued that an official review performed by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to determine that the obtaining of the dataset by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”.
“The crucial point is that these individuals are not confronting the Taliban; they live secretly. Everything boils down to past work history.”
The source explained disturbing abuse suffered by concerned people, involving electrocution, waterboarding, and severe beatings.
“We have had young kids who have had bones crushed to pressure households to say where someone is,” she testified.
