🔗 Share this article Taliban Employed Left-Behind UK Gear to Track Down Local Nationals Who Worked Alongside Western Forces, Inquiry Learns A confidential source has revealed a parliamentary probe that British authorities abandoned classified equipment allowing the militant group to locate Afghans who worked with western forces. Information Leak Endangers Thousands at Risk Person A, identified as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the information breach were advised to relocate and switch their contact details to avoid detection from the ruling authorities. MPs are looking into the UK government's management of a catastrophic disclosure of private information involving almost nineteen thousand individuals who had requested to relocate to the UK to escape militant rule. How the Leak Was Discovered A data file with private information, comprising names, contact details and occasionally family information, was inadvertently disclosed by an official employed at British military command in last year. The leak was discovered months later, when the names of several individuals who had requested to relocate to the UK appeared on social media. Regime's Resources It appears there is this misconception that Afghan rulers are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” Person A informed the committee. “We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire a contact number, they are able to track your exact position. This is exactly how intelligence groups achieved.” When questioned about whether the Taliban had access to advanced decryption, Person A declared: “They've got everything.” Aftermath of the Data Breach Early investigations presented to the investigation suggested that at least 49 kin and colleagues of individuals impacted by the incident had been murdered. A gag order concerning the incident was put in force in last year and prevented relevant facts concerning it from public disclosure until July 2025. Security Recommendations Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the aid group she collaborated with advised Afghan families they were working with that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been intercepted”. “Our suggestion was that they change residence when possible and altered their phone numbers. These represented the primary information that, if authorities had access to this information, would cause identification and capture,” Person A explained. Disputed Conclusions Person A disputed that government assessment carried out by an ex-government employee had been wrong to determine that the acquisition of the dataset by the Taliban was “minimally impact present danger”. “The thing to remember is that affected people are in hiding from the Taliban; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to their previous employment.” She detailed horrific abuse experienced by concerned people, including electric shock torture, waterboarding, and physical abuse. “We have had toddlers who have had limbs fractured to force relatives to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.