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A confidential source has told a parliamentary probe that the UK abandoned sensitive equipment permitting the militant group to track down Afghans who worked with allied troops.

Information Leak Puts Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, identified as Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the information breach were told to change residences and alter their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.

Members of Parliament are investigating the UK government's handling of a massive breach of confidential data affecting approximately 19k individuals who had applied to move to the UK to escape the regime.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

A spreadsheet with confidential details, comprising identities, phone numbers and occasionally family information, was inadvertently disclosed by an official working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

The breach was discovered only in August 2023, when the names of several individuals who had applied to settle in the UK were posted on Facebook.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that the Taliban are without the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” she told the committee.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. If they have mobile details, they are able to track your exact position. This is exactly how the unit accomplished.”

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

Impact of the Security Lapse

Initial findings presented to the committee indicated that approximately fifty family members and associates of Afghans affected by the incident had been murdered.

A gag order regarding the breach was implemented in late 2023 and restricted any information regarding the matter from media reporting until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, Person A and the volunteer organization associated with informed individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “concerns that mobile communications had been compromised”.

“We recommended that they change residence where feasible and altered their mobile numbers. These represented the primary information that, if the Taliban acquired such data, would cause them being traced,” Person A explained.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower argued that government assessment performed by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to determine that the possession of the information by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The crucial point is that these Afghans are not confronting the Taliban; they live secretly. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”

She detailed terrible treatment experienced by affected individuals, comprising electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had limbs fractured to pressure households to disclose hiding places,” she testified.