🔗 Share this article Taliban Used Discarded British Gear to Locate Afghans That Served Alongside Western Forces, Inquiry Hears A whistleblower has revealed an official investigation that the UK failed to secure confidential equipment allowing the Taliban to identify Afghans that had served with allied troops. Data Breach Puts Numerous in Danger The whistleblower, called Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the security lapse were advised to move homes and switch their phone numbers to avoid detection from the ruling authorities. Lawmakers are looking into the Conservative government's handling of a serious leak of confidential data involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to move to the UK to flee the regime. How the Leak Happened A spreadsheet with private information, such as names, addresses and sometimes family information, was mistakenly released by a worker employed at British military command in early 2022. The leak was discovered only in August 2023, when the names of several individuals who had applied to move to Britain were posted on online platforms. Militant Technology “There seems to be this misconception that the Taliban do not have similar capabilities that allied forces use,” Person A informed lawmakers. All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have your phone number, they can trace you down to within metres. That's precisely what intelligence groups achieved.” During testimony about regarding if authorities owned advanced decryption, Person A stated: “They've got everything.” Aftermath of the Information Leak Early investigations submitted to the committee suggested that approximately fifty relatives and co-workers of Afghans affected by the breach had been executed. A superinjunction regarding the incident was enacted in last year and prevented relevant facts about it from being made public until July 2025. Safety Measures Given injunction limitations, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization she was working with informed Afghan families they were working with that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been compromised”. “Our suggestion was that they moved where feasible and altered their mobile numbers. That constituted the two main details that, if authorities obtained these details, would lead to them being traced,” Person A explained. Disputed Conclusions Person A argued that an official review conducted by a former official had been mistaken to conclude that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “minimally impact present danger”. “The thing to remember is that these individuals are not standing up to the Taliban; they remain concealed. The primary issue involves former occupations.” Person A described horrific treatment endured by concerned people, involving electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and severe beatings. “Instances include four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to pressure households to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.