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A whistleblower has revealed a parliamentary probe that the UK left behind confidential equipment allowing the Taliban to track down Afghans who collaborated with allied troops.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands in Danger

Person A, called Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the security lapse were instructed to move homes and switch their mobile numbers to protect themselves from militant forces.

Lawmakers are looking into official response of a massive breach of personal details involving nearly 19,000 individuals who had asked to relocate to Britain to flee the Taliban.

How the Leak Was Discovered

An electronic document including private information, such as names, contact details and sometimes family information, was accidentally leaked by a staff member working at British military command in early 2022.

The breach came to light in late 2023, when the names of nine people who had requested to settle in Britain surfaced on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be a misunderstanding that militant forces are without comparable resources that western nations possess,” Person A informed the committee.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Should they obtain a contact number, they can trace your precise location. This is exactly how intelligence groups accomplished.”

During testimony about if militant forces owned necessary encryption, Person A stated: “They've got everything.”

Impact of the Security Lapse

Preliminary research presented to the inquiry indicated that approximately fifty family members and associates of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.

A legal restriction about the leak was enacted in late 2023 and prevented any information concerning it from being made public until mid-2025.

Protective Actions

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization associated with told individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “apprehensions that certain devices had been breached”.

“We recommended that they change residence if they could and switched their mobile numbers. That constituted the primary information that, if the Taliban obtained such data, would result in them being traced,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A disputed that internal investigation conducted by a former official had been incorrect to state that the acquisition of the dataset by the Taliban was “minimally impact present danger”.

“The crucial point is that these Afghans are not standing up to the Taliban; they live secretly. Everything boils down to past work history.”

The source explained horrific abuse endured by affected individuals, comprising electrocution, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“We have had young kids who have had limbs fractured to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” she testified.