🔗 Share this article Afghan Rulers Utilized Left-Behind UK Equipment to Track Down Afghans Who Worked With Western Troops, Inquiry Is Told A whistleblower has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure sensitive devices permitting the militant group to identify Afghans who collaborated with western forces. Information Leak Endangers Thousands at Risk Person A, identified as Person A, explained that people concerned by the information breach were advised to change residences and alter their contact details to protect themselves from the Taliban. Members of Parliament are looking into the UK government's handling of a serious disclosure of confidential data involving approximately 19k Afghans who had applied to relocate to Britain to flee the regime. Data Disclosure Happened An electronic document containing private information, such as names, addresses and in some cases household data, was accidentally leaked by a worker working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022. The incident came to light only in August 2023, when details of multiple applicants who had sought to move to Britain appeared on online platforms. Militant Technology “There seems to be a false assumption that Afghan rulers lack the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers. All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire mobile details, they are able to track your precise location. That is what intelligence groups accomplished.” Under inquiry about whether the Taliban possessed necessary encryption, Person A stated: “They've got everything.” Impact of the Information Leak Preliminary research presented to the committee indicated that at least 49 kin and colleagues of individuals impacted by the incident had been killed. A legal restriction concerning the breach was implemented in late 2023 and prevented any information about it from media reporting until July 2025. Safety Measures Due to legal constraints, the source and the aid group she was working with told individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been intercepted”. “Our suggestion was that they relocate if they could and switched their mobile numbers. Those were the two main details that, if authorities obtained this information, would lead to identification and capture,” she said. Disputed Conclusions Person A disputed that internal investigation carried out by a former official had been incorrect to state that the possession of the information by the Taliban was “not significantly alter present danger”. “The crucial point is that these individuals are in hiding from the Taliban; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to past work history.” The source explained terrible treatment suffered by concerned people, involving electric shock torture, waterboarding, and violent assaults. “We have had young kids who have had their arms broken to force relatives to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.