🔗 Share this article Taliban Utilized Abandoned British Technology to Locate Afghans Who Worked With Western Forces, Inquiry Learns A whistleblower has disclosed a parliamentary probe that British authorities left behind sensitive devices allowing the Taliban to track down local individuals who collaborated with western forces. Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk The source, identified as Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the information breach were told to change residences and change their contact details to ensure their safety from the Taliban. MPs are currently examining official handling of a massive disclosure of private information affecting nearly 19,000 individuals who had requested to come to the United Kingdom to avoid militant rule. The Information Breach Was Discovered A data file including their personal data, such as identities, phone numbers and in some cases family information, was accidentally leaked by a staff member employed at British military command in February 2022. The incident was discovered months later, when details of several individuals who had sought to settle in the UK were posted on online platforms. Militant Technology “There seems to be a false assumption that the Taliban lack the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers. “We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have mobile details, they can locate your precise location. That's precisely what specialized teams did.” During testimony about if militant forces owned advanced decryption, the source declared: “They have complete capability.” Aftermath of the Security Lapse Early investigations submitted to the investigation estimated that approximately fifty kin and associates of Afghans affected by the breach had been killed. A legal restriction about the incident was implemented in late 2023 and prevented all details about it from media reporting until mid-2025. Protective Actions Because she was restricted, Person A and the volunteer organization she was working with told affected households they were supporting that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been intercepted”. “We advised that they moved if they could and changed their phone numbers. These represented the primary information that, if the Taliban had access to these details, would cause their location being found,” the source testified. Contested Findings The whistleblower disputed that government assessment conducted by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to determine that the acquisition of the information by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”. “The important fact is that affected people are not confronting the Taliban; they remain concealed. The primary issue involves former occupations.” The source explained horrific violence endured by affected individuals, comprising electrocution, waterboarding, and violent assaults. “Instances include young kids who have had limbs fractured to force households to say where someone is,” Person A stated.