Taliban Employed Abandoned UK Equipment to Locate Afghans Who Worked Alongside Western Troops, Investigation Is Told

A confidential source has told a parliamentary probe that the UK failed to secure confidential technology permitting the militant group to track down Afghans that had served with international military.

Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger

The source, identified as Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the data leak were instructed to move homes and change their phone numbers to avoid detection from militant forces.

Lawmakers are investigating official management of a massive breach of confidential data concerning nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom to avoid the regime.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

A spreadsheet containing private information, such as names, contact details and sometimes family information, was mistakenly released by a worker working at special operations center in February 2022.

The incident came to light only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had sought to move to the UK were posted on social media.

Militant Technology

It appears there is a misunderstanding that the Taliban lack comparable resources that western nations possess,” she told the committee.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. If they have mobile details, they are able to track your exact position. That is what intelligence groups accomplished.”

When questioned about if militant forces had access to sophisticated technology, the source stated: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Information Leak

Initial findings submitted to the investigation indicated that at least 49 kin and associates of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.

A superinjunction about the breach was enacted in last year and blocked all details about it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Due to legal constraints, the source and the aid group associated with informed affected households they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been breached”.

“Our suggestion was that they moved if they could and changed their contact details. That constituted the primary information that, if the Taliban obtained this information, would result in identification and capture,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A argued that an official review carried out by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to state that the possession of the records by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.

“The crucial point is that these Afghans are in hiding from the authorities; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to former occupations.”

She detailed horrific abuse suffered by concerned people, involving electrocution, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.

“We have had toddlers who have had their arms broken to pressure relatives to say where someone is,” the whistleblower revealed.