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A whistleblower has disclosed a parliamentary probe that the UK abandoned confidential devices allowing the Taliban to track down Afghans who worked with allied troops.

Data Breach Endangers Numerous in Danger

Person A, called Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the data leak were advised to relocate and switch their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.

Members of Parliament are investigating the UK government's handling of a massive disclosure of personal details involving approximately 19k Afghans who had applied to relocate to the UK to flee militant rule.

Data Disclosure Happened

A data file containing their personal data, comprising names, addresses and in some cases relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by an official working at British military command in February 2022.

The incident was discovered in late 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had requested to move to the UK surfaced on online platforms.

Regime's Resources

“There seems to be a misunderstanding that Afghan rulers lack comparable resources that we have,” the whistleblower testified to the committee.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. If they have your phone number, they can locate your exact position. This is exactly how specialized teams achieved.”

During testimony about whether the Taliban had access to necessary encryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

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

A superinjunction about the leak was implemented in August 2023 and prevented relevant facts concerning it from media reporting until mid-2025.

Protective Actions

Due to legal constraints, the source and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with informed affected households they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been breached”.

“We advised that they relocate when possible and changed their phone numbers. These represented the primary information that, should militant forces obtained such data, would result in identification and capture,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A contested that internal investigation conducted by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to determine that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not standing up to the Taliban; they are in hiding. All concerns relate to past work history.”

Person A described terrible treatment suffered by at-risk Afghans, comprising electric shock torture, waterboarding, and severe beatings.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to try to get households to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.