Taliban Used Left-Behind British Technology to Find Afghans That Served With Allied Troops, Inquiry Is Told

A confidential source has revealed an official investigation that British authorities left behind confidential devices allowing Afghanistan's rulers to track down local individuals that had served with international military.

Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger

The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the security lapse were advised to change residences and change their contact details to avoid detection from militant forces.

Members of Parliament are currently examining official handling of a serious leak of private information concerning approximately 19k Afghans who had asked to come to Britain to flee the regime.

How the Leak Happened

A data file with private information, such as names, phone numbers and occasionally household data, was mistakenly released by a worker employed at special operations center in February 2022.

The leak was discovered in late 2023, when the names of nine people who had sought to move to Britain were posted on social media.

Militant Technology

It appears there is a misunderstanding that Afghan rulers do not have similar capabilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Should they obtain your phone number, they are able to track your exact position. This is exactly how specialized teams achieved.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban owned necessary encryption, the whistleblower stated: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Initial findings presented to the inquiry suggested that at least 49 kin and colleagues of people concerned by the incident had been executed.

A superinjunction concerning the breach was implemented in late 2023 and blocked any information about it from being made public until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Given injunction limitations, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she was working with advised Afghan families they were supporting that they had “apprehensions that certain devices had been intercepted”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence where feasible and switched their phone numbers. That constituted the two main details that, should militant forces acquired this information, would cause their location being found,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

The source contested that internal investigation carried out by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to determine that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The crucial point is that these Afghans are not standing up to the Taliban; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to their previous employment.”

She detailed terrible treatment endured by concerned people, including electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and severe beatings.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to force relatives to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.