Taliban Used Discarded British Technology to Track Down Local Nationals Who Worked With Allied Troops, Investigation Is Told

A whistleblower has disclosed a parliamentary probe that British authorities left behind sensitive technology allowing the Taliban to locate Afghans who worked with western forces.

Information Leak Puts Numerous in Danger

Person A, known as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were instructed to relocate and change their mobile numbers to avoid detection from militant forces.

Lawmakers are investigating official handling of a massive breach of confidential data concerning almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had applied to come to the United Kingdom to escape the Taliban.

Data Disclosure Happened

A data file including confidential details, comprising identities, addresses and in some cases family information, was mistakenly released by an official working at British military command in February 2022.

The incident became known months later, when identities of several individuals who had sought to settle in Britain were posted on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

Many believe there's this misconception that the Taliban lack comparable resources that we have,” she told MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain mobile details, they are able to track your exact position. This is exactly how the unit achieved.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned advanced decryption, Person A declared: “They have complete capability.”

Consequences of the Security Lapse

Preliminary research presented to the investigation estimated that no fewer than forty-nine family members and associates of people concerned by the breach had been murdered.

A gag order concerning the breach was enacted in late 2023 and prevented any information about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

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

“We advised that they moved where feasible and altered their phone numbers. Those were the crucial data that, if authorities had access to this information, would result in their location being found,” Person A explained.

Contested Findings

The source argued that internal investigation conducted by an ex-government employee had been wrong to state that the possession of the dataset by the Taliban was “not significantly alter present danger”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are in hiding from militant forces; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to past work history.”

She detailed horrific abuse experienced by affected individuals, comprising electrocution, simulated drowning, and severe beatings.

“We have had toddlers who have had their arms broken to try to get relatives to say where someone is,” she testified.

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