🔗 Share this article Taliban Employed Discarded UK Technology to Track Down Afghans That Served Alongside Allied Troops, Inquiry Learns A confidential source has told a parliamentary probe that the UK abandoned sensitive equipment allowing Afghanistan's rulers to track down Afghans who collaborated with allied troops. Data Breach Puts Numerous in Danger The whistleblower, known as Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the security lapse were instructed to change residences and change their contact details to protect themselves from militant forces. Members of Parliament are investigating the UK government's management of a serious breach of personal details involving approximately 19k individuals who had requested to relocate to the United Kingdom to avoid militant rule. The Information Breach Was Discovered A data file with confidential details, comprising identities, phone numbers and in some cases family information, was mistakenly released by an official employed at special operations center in early 2022. The leak came to light only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had applied to settle in the UK appeared on Facebook. Regime's Resources It appears there is a false assumption that militant forces do not have the same sort of facilities that we have,” the whistleblower testified to the committee. All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire a contact number, they can locate your exact position. That is what intelligence groups accomplished.” When questioned about if militant forces owned sophisticated technology, the source confirmed: “They've got everything.” Aftermath of the Information Leak Initial findings presented to the committee suggested that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and associates of Afghans affected by the breach had been killed. A gag order about the incident was enacted in last year and prevented any information concerning it from public disclosure until mid-2025. Security Recommendations Given injunction limitations, Person A and the aid group she was working with told individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been intercepted”. “Our suggestion was that they relocate when possible and changed their mobile numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, if authorities acquired these details, would cause them being traced,” the source testified. Disputed Conclusions Person A contested that government assessment performed by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to determine that the possession of the dataset by the Taliban was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”. “The thing to remember is that affected people are not confronting the authorities; they remain concealed. The primary issue involves their previous employment.” The source explained horrific violence experienced by concerned people, including electrocution, waterboarding, and violent assaults. “Instances include four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to try to get the family to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.