Afghan Rulers Employed Left-Behind UK Equipment to Find Afghans Who Worked Alongside Western Troops, Investigation Is Told
A confidential source has told the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK abandoned classified devices allowing the Taliban to identify Afghans that had served with allied troops.
Data Breach Endangers Thousands at Risk
Person A, known as Person A, explained that people concerned by the information breach were instructed to move homes and alter their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.
MPs are investigating the Conservative government's handling of a massive leak of confidential data affecting approximately 19k individuals who had asked to come to the United Kingdom to avoid the regime.
Data Disclosure Occurred
A spreadsheet with private information, comprising names, addresses and in some cases family information, was mistakenly released by an official employed at British military command in February 2022.
The breach was discovered months later, when the names of multiple applicants who had requested to relocate to the UK appeared on online platforms.
Taliban Capabilities
It appears there is a misunderstanding that militant forces lack the same sort of facilities that we have,” she told MPs.
Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire mobile details, they can locate your exact position. That is what the unit achieved.”
Under inquiry about regarding if authorities possessed advanced decryption, Person A declared: “They've got everything.”
Aftermath of the Security Lapse
Initial findings provided to the committee indicated that approximately fifty family members and co-workers of people concerned by the incident had been executed.
A gag order about the leak was enacted in late 2023 and prevented relevant facts regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.
Protective Actions
Given injunction limitations, the source and the volunteer organization associated with informed individuals at risk they were working with that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been breached”.
“Our suggestion was that they change residence if they could and altered their phone numbers. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban had access to this information, would result in their location being found,” the source testified.
Challenged Assessments
The source disputed that an official review performed by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to determine that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”.
“The crucial point is that these individuals are not confronting the Taliban; they are in hiding. The primary issue involves their previous employment.”
She detailed horrific abuse experienced by affected individuals, comprising electric shock torture, waterboarding, and severe beatings.
“Instances include toddlers who have had their arms broken to force relatives to reveal locations,” Person A stated.