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KABUL – Tehran is reportedly leveraging a leaked Taliban database to track down British spies and Afghan allies, The Telegraph has revealed, raising fresh concerns about intelligence security in the region. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials reportedly traveled to Kabul last week—apparently without notifying Iran’s civilian government—to obtain the list, which includes names of Afghan soldiers who assisted British forces, intelligence operatives, and even MI6 personnel.
Sources say the IRGC aims to use these individuals as bargaining chips in looming nuclear negotiations with Europe, as Britain, France, and Germany warned Iran this week they could trigger a “snapback” of UN sanctions if Tehran does not act by the end of August. The 2015 nuclear deal, which eased nearly a decade of economic restrictions, is set to expire in October, adding urgency to the talks.
The Taliban provided a “modified” version of the list after internal debate, balancing concerns over Iran’s treatment of Afghan refugees with the strategic goal of securing formal recognition from Tehran. Iranian border forces have already detained several individuals from the list, focusing on suspected British spies, while releasing others who were only former Afghan soldiers.
This episode underscores the increasingly complex interplay between intelligence operations, insurgent groups, and state actors. Experts warn that Iran’s covert pursuit of Western operatives could further destabilize Afghanistan and complicate international diplomacy, potentially putting lives at risk and testing Europe’s leverage over Tehran.
A former British minister described the original leak, which occurred in 2022 when a Royal Marine accidentally emailed the full database to Afghan contacts in Britain, as “gut-wrenching,” calling attention to one of the most damaging intelligence breaches in recent history. The Taliban insists it already had access to extensive records of these individuals and says British cover-ups are irrelevant.
The revelation highlights a high-stakes spy game unfolding in the heart of Afghanistan, where the lines between insurgents, foreign powers, and intelligence agencies blur—and where the fallout could have global ramifications.
