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A whistleblower has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned confidential equipment allowing Afghanistan's rulers to locate Afghans that had served with western forces.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands at Risk

The source, called Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the data leak were told to move homes and switch their contact details to protect themselves from the Taliban.

Members of Parliament are currently examining the Conservative government's response of a serious breach of confidential data concerning almost nineteen thousand individuals who had asked to relocate to the United Kingdom to escape the Taliban.

How the Leak Was Discovered

An electronic document including confidential details, such as names, contact details and occasionally relative details, was mistakenly released by a worker stationed at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

The leak came to light months later, when identities of several individuals who had requested to settle in the UK were posted on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

Many believe there's this misconception that Afghan rulers are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” Person A informed lawmakers.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire your phone number, they can locate your precise location. This is exactly how specialized teams achieved.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban had access to necessary encryption, Person A stated: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Security Lapse

Initial findings provided to the inquiry indicated that at least 49 family members and associates of Afghans affected by the breach had been murdered.

A legal restriction regarding the incident was put in force in August 2023 and prevented any information about it from public disclosure until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, the source and the aid group she collaborated with told individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that mobile communications had been compromised”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence if they could and altered their contact details. Those were the two main details that, if the Taliban had access to these details, would cause them being traced,” Person A explained.

Contested Findings

The whistleblower argued that internal investigation conducted by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to determine that the possession of the information by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not standing up to militant forces; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to former occupations.”

Person A described terrible abuse suffered by concerned people, including electrocution, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to force households to say where someone is,” Person A stated.