Taliban Utilized Left-Behind UK Equipment to Track Down Local Nationals That Served Alongside Western Troops, Investigation Is Told

A confidential source has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK failed to secure confidential technology permitting the Taliban to locate Afghans who worked with international military.

Information Leak Puts Thousands at Risk

Person A, called Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the data leak were advised to move homes and switch their mobile numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

MPs are currently examining the UK government's management of a massive leak of personal details concerning almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to relocate to the UK to avoid militant rule.

How the Leak Was Discovered

A spreadsheet containing private information, including names, addresses and occasionally household data, was inadvertently disclosed by an official employed at British military command in last year.

The breach became known months later, when the names of multiple applicants who had sought to relocate to the UK surfaced on Facebook.

Regime's Resources

“There seems to be a misunderstanding that Afghan rulers do not have similar capabilities that we have,” Person A informed the committee.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain a contact number, they can trace you down to within metres. This is exactly how the unit accomplished.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban possessed necessary encryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Consequences of the Information Leak

Initial findings presented to the committee indicated that approximately fifty kin and associates of Afghans affected by the leak had been killed.

A superinjunction about the breach was implemented in August 2023 and restricted relevant facts concerning it from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization she was working with told individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“We advised that they relocate if they could and switched their mobile numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, should militant forces acquired this information, would result in their location being found,” the source testified.

Contested Findings

Person A contested that internal investigation performed by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to state that the obtaining of the information by militant forces was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.

“The thing to remember is that affected people are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”

The source explained terrible violence suffered by at-risk Afghans, including electrocution, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of young kids who have had limbs fractured to force households to say where someone is,” Person A stated.