Taliban Used Discarded British Technology to Locate Local Nationals Who Worked With Allied Forces, Inquiry Hears
A whistleblower has told an official investigation that the UK abandoned sensitive devices permitting the Taliban to identify local individuals who worked with international military.
Data Breach Puts Numerous at Risk
The whistleblower, identified as Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the security lapse were advised to move homes and alter their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the ruling authorities.
MPs are looking into the Conservative government's response of a catastrophic disclosure of private information involving approximately 19k individuals who had applied to move to the United Kingdom to escape the Taliban.
How the Leak Was Discovered
A spreadsheet containing their personal data, including names, phone numbers and sometimes relative details, was mistakenly released by a staff member stationed at special operations center in early 2022.
The leak came to light only in August 2023, when the names of several individuals who had requested to move to Britain surfaced on online platforms.
Regime's Resources
It appears there is a misunderstanding that the Taliban lack similar capabilities that allied forces use,” Person A informed lawmakers.
Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Should they obtain your phone number, they can locate your precise location. That's precisely what specialized teams accomplished.”
Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned sophisticated technology, the source declared: “They have complete capability.”
Impact of the Data Breach
Initial findings submitted to the investigation indicated that approximately fifty family members and associates of individuals impacted by the incident had been murdered.
A superinjunction about the leak was enacted in late 2023 and prevented any information about it from being made public until mid-2025.
Safety Measures
Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with told affected households they were assisting that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been compromised”.
“We recommended that they moved when possible and changed their contact details. That constituted the crucial data that, if authorities had access to these details, would lead to identification and capture,” Person A explained.
Contested Findings
The source disputed that an official review carried out by a former official had been wrong to state that the possession of the information by militant forces was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.
“The important fact is that these individuals are in hiding from militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves their previous employment.”
Person A described horrific treatment experienced by concerned people, including electric shock torture, waterboarding, and physical abuse.
“Instances include four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to try to get households to say where someone is,” she testified.
