🔗 Share this article Taliban Employed Abandoned British Equipment to Locate Local Nationals Who Worked Alongside Western Troops, Investigation Learns An informant has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities left behind confidential devices permitting the Taliban to track down Afghans who worked with western forces. Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger The source, known as Person A, testified that people concerned by the information breach were instructed to change residences and change their contact details to ensure their safety from the Taliban. MPs are currently examining official handling of a catastrophic disclosure of confidential data affecting almost nineteen thousand individuals who had requested to relocate to Britain to flee the regime. Data Disclosure Occurred A data file with confidential details, such as identities, addresses and occasionally relative details, was mistakenly released by a worker employed at British military command in last year. The leak was discovered in late 2023, when details of several individuals who had sought to relocate to the UK were posted on social media. Taliban Capabilities It appears there is this misconception that Afghan rulers do not have the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” she told MPs. “We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have mobile details, they can locate you down to within metres. That is what specialized teams accomplished.” When questioned about regarding if authorities possessed sophisticated technology, the whistleblower declared: “They have complete capability.” Aftermath of the Security Lapse Early investigations provided to the committee suggested that no fewer than forty-nine family members and colleagues of people concerned by the incident had been executed. A legal restriction about the breach was put in force in August 2023 and blocked all details about it from media reporting until mid-2025. Safety Measures Given injunction limitations, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization associated with informed Afghan families they were working with that they had “apprehensions that mobile communications had been breached”. “Our suggestion was that they relocate when possible and altered their contact details. These represented the primary information that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would result in identification and capture,” Person A explained. Challenged Assessments The source disputed that internal investigation conducted by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to determine that the obtaining of the information by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”. “The important fact is that these Afghans are not confronting the authorities; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to past work history.” The source explained disturbing treatment suffered by at-risk Afghans, comprising electrocution, waterboarding, and violent assaults. “Instances include young kids who have had limbs fractured to pressure the family to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.