Afghan Rulers Utilized Discarded British Technology to Track Down Afghans Who Worked With Allied Forces, Investigation Is Told
A whistleblower has revealed an official investigation that British authorities abandoned confidential devices allowing the Taliban to locate Afghans who collaborated with international military.
Information Leak Puts Numerous in Danger
The source, known as Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the information breach were instructed to change residences and change their contact details to ensure their safety from the Taliban.
Members of Parliament are investigating the UK government's management of a massive leak of confidential data involving approximately 19k individuals who had asked to come to Britain to escape the Taliban.
The Information Breach Was Discovered
An electronic document with confidential details, comprising identities, contact details and occasionally relative details, was mistakenly released by an official working at UK special forces headquarters in last year.
The incident became known months later, when identities of multiple applicants who had requested to settle in Britain were posted on Facebook.
Taliban Capabilities
It appears there is this misconception that the Taliban do not have the same sort of facilities that we have,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers.
“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire a contact number, they are able to track your exact position. That's precisely what intelligence groups accomplished.”
When questioned about regarding if authorities owned advanced decryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They've got everything.”
Impact of the Security Lapse
Early investigations presented to the inquiry suggested that at least 49 kin and co-workers of people concerned by the breach had been executed.
A legal restriction regarding the leak was implemented in August 2023 and blocked any information concerning it from being made public until July 2025.
Safety Measures
Due to legal constraints, the source and the aid group associated with told Afghan families they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been compromised”.
“We recommended that they change residence when possible and altered their mobile numbers. That constituted the two main details that, if authorities obtained these details, would cause them being traced,” the source testified.
Disputed Conclusions
The source disputed that an official review carried out by an ex-government employee had been mistaken to conclude that the obtaining of the dataset by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”.
“The important fact is that affected people are in hiding from the authorities; they live secretly. All concerns relate to former occupations.”
Person A described horrific violence suffered by at-risk Afghans, including electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.
“Instances include toddlers who have had their arms broken to pressure the family to disclose hiding places,” she testified.