Taliban Employed Abandoned UK Technology to Track Down Local Nationals Who Worked With Western Troops, Investigation Hears

A whistleblower has revealed an official investigation that the UK abandoned classified devices enabling the Taliban to identify local individuals who worked with allied troops.

Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk

The source, identified as Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the information breach were advised to move homes and alter their phone numbers to avoid detection from the Taliban.

MPs are looking into the UK government's management of a massive breach of personal details affecting approximately 19k individuals who had requested to move to Britain to avoid militant rule.

The Information Breach Happened

A spreadsheet containing private information, comprising identities, contact details and in some cases relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by an official employed at British military command in early 2022.

The leak came to light only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had applied to move to the UK appeared on online platforms.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is a false assumption that militant forces lack comparable resources that we have,” Person A informed lawmakers.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. If they have mobile details, they can trace your exact position. That is what specialized teams did.”

During testimony about whether the Taliban had access to necessary encryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They've got everything.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Early investigations presented to the investigation suggested that approximately fifty family members and associates of people concerned by the breach had been murdered.

A superinjunction about the leak was implemented in August 2023 and restricted all details about it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, the source and the volunteer organization she collaborated with advised affected households they were supporting that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“We advised that they moved when possible and changed their contact details. Those were the two main details that, if the Taliban acquired these details, would cause them being traced,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower argued that internal investigation performed by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to conclude that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not standing up to the authorities; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to past work history.”

She detailed terrible treatment experienced by affected individuals, comprising electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had bones crushed to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.