Afghan Rulers Employed Abandoned UK Equipment to Locate Afghans Who Worked With Western Troops, Inquiry Is Told
A confidential source has revealed a parliamentary probe that British authorities abandoned sensitive technology permitting the militant group to track down Afghans who worked with allied troops.
Information Leak Endangers Numerous in Danger
The source, identified as Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the security lapse were advised to relocate and alter their contact details to avoid detection from militant forces.
MPs are investigating the UK government's handling of a catastrophic breach of confidential data concerning approximately 19k individuals who had applied to come to the UK to flee militant rule.
The Information Breach Happened
A data file with their personal data, such as identities, contact details and occasionally household data, was inadvertently disclosed by a worker employed at British military command in last year.
The leak came to light only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had sought to settle in the UK surfaced on social media.
Taliban Capabilities
It appears there is this misconception that Afghan rulers do not have similar capabilities that we have,” Person A informed MPs.
“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have your phone number, they can locate you down to within metres. This is exactly how specialized teams did.”
When questioned about whether the Taliban owned sophisticated technology, the whistleblower confirmed: “They possess all resources.”
Impact of the Data Breach
Initial findings submitted to the committee estimated that no fewer than forty-nine family members and colleagues of individuals impacted by the breach had been murdered.
A gag order concerning the breach was put in force in last year and prevented all details regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.
Security Recommendations
Because she was restricted, the source and the volunteer organization she was working with advised individuals at risk they were working with that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been compromised”.
“We recommended that they relocate where feasible and switched their phone numbers. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban acquired such data, would result in their location being found,” she said.
Contested Findings
The source contested that an official review carried out by a former official had been wrong to state that the acquisition of the dataset by militant forces was “minimally impact current risk levels”.
“The thing to remember is that these individuals are in hiding from the Taliban; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to their previous employment.”
Person A described disturbing violence endured by concerned people, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and severe beatings.
“There are cases of four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to pressure relatives to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.
