Afghan Rulers Utilized Left-Behind UK Gear to Locate Local Nationals That Served With Allied Troops, Investigation Is Told

An informant has disclosed an official investigation that British authorities failed to secure confidential devices permitting the militant group to identify Afghans that had served with western forces.

Information Leak Puts Numerous in Danger

Person A, known as Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the data leak were instructed to change residences and change their mobile numbers to protect themselves from militant forces.

Members of Parliament are looking into official response of a catastrophic leak of confidential data affecting nearly 19,000 Afghans who had asked to relocate to the UK to avoid the Taliban.

The Information Breach Was Discovered

A data file containing confidential details, such as names, contact details and in some cases household data, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member employed at special operations center in early 2022.

The incident became known only in August 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had requested to relocate to the UK appeared on social media.

Regime's Resources

“There seems to be a false assumption that the Taliban do not have comparable resources that allied forces use,” Person A informed MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have a contact number, they are able to track you down to within metres. That is what the unit achieved.”

During testimony about whether the Taliban owned necessary encryption, the source declared: “They have complete capability.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Early investigations presented to the committee estimated that at least 49 relatives and associates of people concerned by the breach had been killed.

A superinjunction about the breach was implemented in late 2023 and blocked any information regarding the matter from public disclosure until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization associated with advised affected households they were supporting that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been breached”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence when possible and altered their phone numbers. Those were the two main details that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would lead to their location being found,” Person A explained.

Contested Findings

Person A argued that government assessment performed by a former official had been wrong to determine that the obtaining of the dataset by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.

“The crucial point is that affected people are not standing up to the Taliban; they live secretly. Everything boils down to their previous employment.”

Person A described disturbing treatment suffered by at-risk Afghans, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“We have had young kids who have had their arms broken to force households to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.