Afghan Rulers Used Discarded British Equipment to Locate Local Nationals Who Worked Alongside Western Forces, Investigation Is Told
An informant has told a parliamentary probe that British authorities left behind classified equipment permitting Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals that had served with allied troops.
Information Leak Endangers Thousands at Risk
The source, identified as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were advised to move homes and switch their phone numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.
Members of Parliament are currently examining the UK government's management of a massive breach of confidential data involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had asked to relocate to Britain to flee the regime.
How the Leak Was Discovered
A spreadsheet with confidential details, including identities, phone numbers and occasionally household data, was accidentally leaked by a worker stationed at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.
The breach came to light in late 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had requested to settle in Britain surfaced on social media.
Militant Technology
Many believe there's a misunderstanding that the Taliban lack similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told MPs.
All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire your phone number, they are able to track you down to within metres. This is exactly how the unit accomplished.”
Under inquiry about whether the Taliban possessed sophisticated technology, the whistleblower confirmed: “They've got everything.”
Impact of the Security Lapse
Initial findings presented to the committee suggested that approximately fifty family members and co-workers of Afghans affected by the leak had been killed.
A superinjunction concerning the breach was enacted in August 2023 and prevented relevant facts about it from being made public until mid-2025.
Protective Actions
Due to legal constraints, Person A and the volunteer organization she was working with advised Afghan families they were supporting that they had “concerns that mobile communications had been intercepted”.
“We recommended that they relocate when possible and altered their mobile numbers. These represented the primary information that, if authorities obtained this information, would cause them being traced,” the source testified.
Disputed Conclusions
The source argued that government assessment carried out by a former official had been wrong to state that the acquisition of the dataset by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.
“The thing to remember is that these individuals are in hiding from militant forces; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to former occupations.”
She detailed horrific violence suffered by at-risk Afghans, including electrocution, interrogation techniques, and severe beatings.
“There are cases of toddlers who have had their arms broken to force the family to reveal locations,” she testified.