Taliban Utilized Left-Behind UK Gear to Track Down Local Nationals That Served Alongside Western Troops, Inquiry Learns
A whistleblower has revealed an official investigation that British authorities failed to secure confidential devices allowing Afghanistan's rulers to locate Afghans that had served with international military.
Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk
The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the security lapse were told to relocate and switch their mobile numbers to avoid detection from militant forces.
Members of Parliament are looking into official management of a massive disclosure of private information concerning nearly 19,000 Afghans who had asked to move to the UK to escape the regime.
How the Leak Happened
A spreadsheet with their personal data, including names, contact details and in some cases relative details, was accidentally leaked by a worker stationed at special operations center in last year.
The incident was discovered in late 2023, when details of several individuals who had applied to settle in Britain were posted on social media.
Taliban Capabilities
It appears there is a misunderstanding that the Taliban are without similar capabilities that we have,” she told the committee.
Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire your phone number, they are able to track your precise location. This is exactly how specialized teams accomplished.”
During testimony about if militant forces owned necessary encryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They have complete capability.”
Consequences of the Security Lapse
Early investigations submitted to the committee suggested that approximately fifty kin and co-workers of Afghans affected by the leak had been murdered.
A legal restriction regarding the breach was enacted in August 2023 and prevented any information regarding the matter from being made public until July 2025.
Protective Actions
Given injunction limitations, Person A and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with informed Afghan families they were working with that they had “apprehensions that mobile communications had been compromised”.
“Our suggestion was that they relocate if they could and altered their phone numbers. Those were the primary information that, should militant forces acquired this information, would result in them being traced,” Person A explained.
Contested Findings
Person A disputed that an official review conducted by an ex-government employee had been mistaken to determine that the obtaining of the dataset by militant forces was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.
“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not standing up to the Taliban; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to their previous employment.”
Person A described terrible abuse experienced by at-risk Afghans, involving electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.
“Instances include toddlers who have had limbs fractured to try to get households to reveal locations,” Person A stated.
