Afghan Rulers Utilized Abandoned UK Equipment to Locate Afghans Who Worked Alongside Western Forces, Investigation Learns
An informant has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK failed to secure classified technology allowing Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals that had served with western forces.
Data Breach Endangers Thousands in Danger
Person A, identified as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the data leak were advised to relocate and change their mobile numbers to protect themselves from militant forces.
Members of Parliament are looking into the Conservative government's management of a catastrophic leak of confidential data affecting approximately 19k Afghans who had requested to move to Britain to escape militant rule.
Data Disclosure Happened
A spreadsheet with private information, comprising identities, phone numbers and in some cases household data, was mistakenly released by a staff member stationed at British military command in early 2022.
The incident was discovered in late 2023, when details of several individuals who had sought to move to Britain were posted on Facebook.
Taliban Capabilities
“There seems to be a false assumption that the Taliban lack similar capabilities that we have,” she told the committee.
“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire a contact number, they can trace you down to within metres. This is exactly how specialized teams did.”
When questioned about if militant forces owned advanced decryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They've got everything.”
Impact of the Information Leak
Initial findings provided to the inquiry indicated that no fewer than forty-nine family members and colleagues of individuals impacted by the incident had been executed.
A gag order regarding the leak was put in force in last year and restricted any information regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.
Protective Actions
Given injunction limitations, the source and the volunteer organization she was working with advised affected households they were supporting that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been compromised”.
“We advised that they relocate when possible and altered their contact details. That constituted the two main details that, should militant forces acquired this information, would lead to their location being found,” Person A explained.
Disputed Conclusions
The source argued that an official review conducted by a former official had been mistaken to determine that the acquisition of the dataset by the regime was “minimally impact current risk levels”.
“The important fact is that these Afghans are not standing up to the Taliban; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”
The source explained disturbing abuse experienced by at-risk Afghans, involving electrocution, waterboarding, and physical abuse.
“There are cases of young kids who have had their arms broken to try to get relatives to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.
