Taliban Employed Abandoned British Gear to Find Local Nationals Who Worked Alongside Allied Forces, Investigation Is Told
A whistleblower has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned classified technology permitting Afghanistan's rulers to locate local individuals who collaborated with international military.
Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk
The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the security lapse were advised to move homes and change their mobile numbers to ensure their safety from the ruling authorities.
Members of Parliament are investigating the Conservative government's management of a catastrophic leak of personal details involving almost nineteen thousand individuals who had applied to move to the United Kingdom to flee militant rule.
The Information Breach Happened
A spreadsheet with private information, including identities, contact details and in some cases household data, was inadvertently disclosed by an official working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.
The incident came to light months later, when details of multiple applicants who had requested to move to the UK appeared on social media.
Militant Technology
“There seems to be a false assumption that the Taliban are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told the committee.
“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire a contact number, they can locate your exact position. This is exactly how intelligence groups achieved.”
When questioned about whether the Taliban possessed advanced decryption, the source declared: “They have complete capability.”
Aftermath of the Data Breach
Initial findings submitted to the committee estimated that at least 49 family members and associates of individuals impacted by the incident had been killed.
A gag order concerning the breach was implemented in August 2023 and prevented relevant facts concerning it from public disclosure until July 2025.
Security Recommendations
Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the aid group she collaborated with informed Afghan families they were supporting that they had “concerns that certain devices had been breached”.
“We advised that they relocate when possible and altered their mobile numbers. That constituted the two main details that, should militant forces had access to these details, would result in their location being found,” the source testified.
Contested Findings
The whistleblower contested that government assessment carried out by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to state that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.
“The thing to remember is that these individuals are not standing up to the Taliban; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to past work history.”
The source explained horrific treatment endured by concerned people, comprising electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.
“We have had four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to pressure relatives to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.
