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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.

Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger

The source, known as Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the data leak were told to relocate and change their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.

Lawmakers are investigating the UK government's management of a catastrophic breach of confidential data involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had asked to come to Britain to flee the Taliban.

How the Leak Happened

A data file containing confidential details, including identities, addresses and in some cases household data, was inadvertently disclosed by a worker employed at special operations center in early 2022.

The leak became known months later, when the names of several individuals who had requested to relocate to Britain appeared on online platforms.

Regime's Resources

“There seems to be a false assumption that the Taliban are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain your phone number, they can locate your precise location. That is what intelligence groups did.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban owned sophisticated technology, Person A stated: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Security Lapse

Early investigations submitted to the inquiry suggested that approximately fifty relatives and co-workers of individuals impacted by the incident had been executed.

A legal restriction about the leak was enacted in last year and restricted relevant facts about it from media reporting until mid-2025.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, the source and the aid group she collaborated with told individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been intercepted”.

“We advised that they change residence if they could and altered their contact details. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would result in them being traced,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

Person A contested that an official review carried out by a retired civil servant had been wrong to conclude that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not standing up to militant forces; they remain concealed. The primary issue involves former occupations.”

She detailed disturbing abuse experienced by concerned people, including electrocution, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“Instances include young kids who have had their arms broken to try to get relatives to disclose hiding places,” she testified.