Taliban Used Left-Behind British Equipment to Locate Local Nationals That Served Alongside Western Forces, Inquiry Learns

A confidential source has told a parliamentary probe that British authorities failed to secure classified technology allowing the militant group to identify local individuals who worked with allied troops.

Information Leak Puts Numerous in Danger

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

Lawmakers are currently examining the Conservative government's handling of a serious leak of confidential data affecting approximately 19k Afghans who had asked to move to the United Kingdom to flee militant rule.

Data Disclosure Happened

A spreadsheet including private information, including identities, contact details and occasionally family information, was mistakenly released by a worker stationed at British military command in last year.

The incident was discovered months later, when identities of multiple applicants who had requested to settle in Britain surfaced on Facebook.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is this misconception that the Taliban are without the same sort of facilities that we have,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have your phone number, they can trace your precise location. That is what specialized teams did.”

During testimony about regarding if authorities had access to advanced decryption, Person A declared: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Security Lapse

Initial findings submitted to the committee suggested that no fewer than forty-nine kin and associates of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.

A superinjunction concerning the leak was implemented in late 2023 and prevented all details regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, the source and the volunteer organization she collaborated with informed affected households they were supporting that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been intercepted”.

“We recommended that they change residence where feasible and switched their contact details. Those were the two main details that, if the Taliban obtained such data, would result in identification and capture,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower argued that an official review carried out by a former official had been wrong to conclude that the obtaining of the records by the Taliban was “minimally impact present danger”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not standing up to militant forces; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to former occupations.”

She detailed horrific abuse suffered by at-risk Afghans, involving electrocution, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to force relatives to reveal locations,” she testified.