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A confidential source has revealed a parliamentary probe that the UK left behind sensitive equipment enabling Afghanistan's rulers to locate Afghans who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands in Danger

The whistleblower, known as Person A, stated that Afghans affected by the data leak were advised to relocate and switch their contact details to ensure their safety from the ruling authorities.

Members of Parliament are looking into the UK government's management of a catastrophic breach of personal details involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to Britain to escape the Taliban.

The Information Breach Was Discovered

An electronic document with private information, such as names, contact details and in some cases household data, was mistakenly released by a staff member working at special operations center in last year.

The incident was discovered months later, when details of several individuals who had requested to move to the UK were posted on social media.

Militant Technology

It appears there is this misconception that militant forces do not have comparable resources that allied forces use,” Person A informed lawmakers.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire your phone number, they are able to track you down to within metres. That is what the unit accomplished.”

Under inquiry about if militant forces had access to necessary encryption, Person A confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Consequences of the Data Breach

Preliminary research submitted to the committee indicated that approximately fifty family members and colleagues of Afghans affected by the leak had been murdered.

A gag order regarding the breach was implemented in August 2023 and blocked all details concerning it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with told Afghan families they were supporting that they had “concerns that mobile communications had been breached”.

“Our suggestion was that they moved when possible and changed their contact details. That constituted the two main details that, if the Taliban acquired these details, would lead to them being traced,” the source testified.

Contested Findings

The whistleblower argued that an official review performed by an ex-government employee had been mistaken to conclude that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The thing to remember is that affected people are not standing up to the Taliban; they live secretly. Everything boils down to past work history.”

The source explained horrific treatment suffered by affected individuals, including electrocution, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of young kids who have had limbs fractured to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” she testified.