🔗 Share this article Taliban Utilized Abandoned British Equipment to Locate Local Nationals That Served With Western Forces, Inquiry Learns An informant has disclosed a parliamentary probe that British authorities failed to secure sensitive devices allowing the Taliban to locate local individuals that had served with western forces. Data Breach Puts Thousands in Danger The source, known as Person A, testified that people concerned by the security lapse were advised to change residences and alter their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities. Lawmakers are looking into official management of a serious disclosure of confidential data concerning almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to come to the United Kingdom to escape the Taliban. How the Leak Happened A spreadsheet including confidential details, comprising names, phone numbers and in some cases household data, was mistakenly released by an official employed at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022. The incident came to light in late 2023, when the names of several individuals who had applied to move to Britain were posted on Facebook. Taliban Capabilities It appears there is a misunderstanding that militant forces lack the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” Person A informed lawmakers. Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire a contact number, they are able to track you down to within metres. This is exactly how specialized teams accomplished.” When questioned about if militant forces owned sophisticated technology, the whistleblower confirmed: “They've got everything.” Consequences of the Data Breach Initial findings submitted to the inquiry estimated that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and colleagues of people concerned by the breach had been murdered. A legal restriction concerning the breach was implemented in August 2023 and restricted relevant facts about it from being made public until mid-2025. Protective Actions Due to legal constraints, Person A and the aid group she was working with advised individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been breached”. “We advised that they moved where feasible and altered their contact details. Those were the two main details that, if the Taliban acquired this information, would lead to them being traced,” she said. Contested Findings The source contested that government assessment conducted by an ex-government employee had been wrong to state that the possession of the information by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”. “The important fact is that these individuals are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves their previous employment.” She detailed terrible abuse experienced by affected individuals, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse. “Instances include four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to try to get relatives to disclose hiding places,” she testified.