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A whistleblower has disclosed an official investigation that British authorities left behind confidential technology allowing the Taliban to track down Afghans that had served with international military.

Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger

The source, known as Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the security lapse were advised to move homes and change their phone numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are looking into the UK government's response of a serious disclosure of confidential data concerning nearly 19,000 Afghans who had asked to come to Britain to avoid the regime.

The Information Breach Happened

A data file with their personal data, comprising identities, phone numbers and occasionally family information, was accidentally leaked by a worker working at special operations center in early 2022.

The incident became known only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had sought to settle in the UK appeared on Facebook.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is a false assumption that Afghan rulers are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told the committee.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire your phone number, they can locate you down to within metres. This is exactly how specialized teams accomplished.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban had access to necessary encryption, Person A confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Initial findings submitted to the inquiry estimated that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and associates of individuals impacted by the leak had been killed.

A gag order concerning the incident was put in force in August 2023 and prevented any information concerning it from media reporting until mid-2025.

Safety Measures

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she collaborated with informed affected households they were assisting that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been breached”.

“We advised that they change residence when possible and changed their mobile numbers. Those were the crucial data that, if authorities had access to such data, would cause identification and capture,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

The source contested that an official review conducted by a former official had been wrong to state that the obtaining of the records by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. Everything boils down to past work history.”

The source explained horrific violence experienced by affected individuals, including electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of young kids who have had limbs fractured to pressure households to disclose hiding places,” she testified.