đ Share this article Taliban Used Left-Behind UK Gear to Find Local Nationals That Served Alongside Western Forces, Investigation Learns An informant has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK failed to secure classified devices allowing Afghanistan's rulers to locate Afghans that had served with international military. Information Leak Puts Thousands at Risk The source, called Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the information breach were instructed to move homes and alter their phone numbers to protect themselves from militant forces. MPs are looking into official management of a catastrophic leak of private information concerning almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had applied to relocate to Britain to escape the Taliban. Data Disclosure Occurred An electronic document including confidential details, including names, addresses and in some cases relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by an official employed at UK special forces headquarters in last year. The incident became known only in August 2023, when the names of nine people who had applied to settle in the UK were posted on online platforms. Militant Technology Many believe there's a misunderstanding that militant forces lack the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,â Person A informed the committee. All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain your phone number, they can locate your exact position. That's precisely what specialized teams accomplished.â When questioned about whether the Taliban possessed advanced decryption, the whistleblower confirmed: âThey have complete capability.â Impact of the Information Leak Initial findings submitted to the committee indicated that approximately fifty family members and associates of Afghans affected by the leak had been killed. A legal restriction about the breach was put in force in late 2023 and restricted all details about it from public disclosure until mid-2025. Safety Measures Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the aid group she was working with told affected households they were supporting that they had âconcerns that mobile communications had been interceptedâ. âWe recommended that they moved where feasible and switched their phone numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, should militant forces obtained these details, would cause them being traced,â the source testified. Challenged Assessments The source contested that government assessment conducted by an ex-government employee had been wrong to determine that the obtaining of the information by militant forces was âminimally impact present dangerâ. âThe crucial point is that these individuals are in hiding from the Taliban; they live secretly. All concerns relate to former occupations.â Person A described terrible abuse experienced by concerned people, including electrocution, waterboarding, and violent assaults. âWe have had four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to force households to say where someone is,â she testified.