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A confidential source has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK left behind confidential devices enabling Afghanistan's rulers to locate Afghans who collaborated with allied troops.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, identified as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the information breach were advised to change residences and change their mobile numbers to avoid detection from militant forces.

MPs are currently examining the UK government's handling of a massive disclosure of private information involving nearly 19,000 individuals who had applied to relocate to Britain to escape militant rule.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

A data file containing their personal data, comprising identities, phone numbers and sometimes relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by an official employed at special operations center in February 2022.

The breach came to light in late 2023, when identities of several individuals who had requested to settle in Britain surfaced on social media.

Taliban Capabilities

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that the Taliban lack similar capabilities that we have,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain your phone number, they are able to track your precise location. That is what specialized teams accomplished.”

Under inquiry about if militant forces had access to necessary encryption, Person A confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Information Leak

Preliminary research presented to the inquiry suggested that no fewer than forty-nine kin and associates of individuals impacted by the breach had been killed.

A legal restriction regarding the breach was enacted in late 2023 and blocked relevant facts about it from media reporting until mid-2025.

Safety Measures

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she was working with told Afghan families they were supporting that they had “concerns that certain devices had been compromised”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence where feasible and altered their mobile numbers. Those were the crucial data that, if the Taliban acquired these details, would lead to their location being found,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

The source disputed that government assessment carried out by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to state that the acquisition of the information by militant forces was “not significantly alter present danger”.

“The important fact is that affected people are not standing up to militant forces; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to former occupations.”

The source explained horrific violence suffered by at-risk Afghans, comprising electric shock torture, waterboarding, and severe beatings.

“We have had young kids who have had limbs fractured to try to get households to reveal locations,” Person A stated.