🔗 Share this article Taliban Utilized Discarded British Gear to Track Down Local Nationals Who Worked With Western Forces, Investigation Learns An informant has disclosed a parliamentary probe that the UK failed to secure classified equipment permitting Afghanistan's rulers to identify Afghans that had served with allied troops. Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk The whistleblower, identified as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the data leak were told to move homes and alter their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the ruling authorities. MPs are currently examining the Conservative government's management of a massive disclosure of confidential data affecting almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to move to the UK to avoid the Taliban. Data Disclosure Occurred An electronic document containing their personal data, comprising identities, addresses and occasionally family information, was inadvertently disclosed by an official employed at UK special forces headquarters in early 2022. The leak was discovered only in August 2023, when details of nine people who had applied to settle in the UK were posted on online platforms. Regime's Resources “There seems to be a misunderstanding that the Taliban do not have comparable resources that we have,” the whistleblower testified to MPs. “We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire a contact number, they are able to track your precise location. That's precisely what the unit accomplished.” Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned necessary encryption, Person A confirmed: “They've got everything.” Consequences of the Security Lapse Early investigations presented to the inquiry indicated that approximately fifty family members and colleagues of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed. A legal restriction about the leak was enacted in August 2023 and restricted all details concerning it from public disclosure until mid-2025. Protective Actions Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with informed individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been breached”. “Our suggestion was that they change residence if they could and switched their mobile numbers. That constituted the primary information that, if the Taliban obtained this information, would cause them being traced,” the source testified. Disputed Conclusions The source argued that internal investigation performed by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to determine that the acquisition of the records by militant forces was “minimally impact current risk levels”. “The thing to remember is that these individuals are not confronting militant forces; they are in hiding. All concerns relate to former occupations.” She detailed horrific abuse suffered by at-risk Afghans, including electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and severe beatings. “There are cases of young kids who have had their arms broken to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.