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A whistleblower has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK left behind classified technology enabling the Taliban to identify local individuals who collaborated with allied troops.

Information Leak Puts Numerous in Danger

The source, identified as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the data leak were advised to relocate and alter their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the Taliban.

Members of Parliament are looking into the Conservative government's response of a catastrophic breach of private information affecting almost nineteen thousand individuals who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom to escape militant rule.

The Information Breach Occurred

A spreadsheet with their personal data, including names, contact details and sometimes family information, was mistakenly released by a staff member employed at special operations center in early 2022.

The leak became known only in August 2023, when identities of nine people who had applied to relocate to the UK were posted on social media.

Militant Technology

It appears there is a false assumption that the Taliban are without similar capabilities that we have,” Person A informed lawmakers.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. If they have a contact number, they can trace your precise location. That is what intelligence groups achieved.”

When questioned about if militant forces possessed sophisticated technology, Person A declared: “They possess all resources.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Initial findings submitted to the inquiry suggested that approximately fifty relatives and colleagues of individuals impacted by the leak had been murdered.

A legal restriction regarding the breach was put in force in August 2023 and restricted all details about it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, the source and the aid group she was working with advised Afghan families they were assisting that they had “concerns that mobile communications had been breached”.

“We advised that they moved if they could and altered their mobile numbers. These represented the primary information that, if the Taliban acquired this information, would cause them being traced,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A disputed that government assessment performed by a former official had been mistaken to conclude that the obtaining of the dataset by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The important fact is that affected people are not confronting militant forces; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”

The source explained disturbing abuse experienced by concerned people, involving electrocution, waterboarding, and severe beatings.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had their arms broken to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” Person A stated.