🔗 Share this article

A confidential source has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure confidential technology enabling the militant group to locate Afghans who worked with western forces.

Information Leak Endangers Numerous at Risk

Person A, known as Person A, stated that people concerned by the data leak were instructed to change residences and switch their mobile numbers to avoid detection from militant forces.

Lawmakers are looking into the Conservative government's management of a catastrophic breach of personal details concerning approximately 19k individuals who had applied to move to the United Kingdom to avoid militant rule.

The Information Breach Occurred

A spreadsheet with their personal data, such as names, phone numbers and in some cases household data, was accidentally leaked by a worker employed at special operations center in early 2022.

The incident became known in late 2023, when identities of several individuals who had applied to settle in Britain surfaced on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is a false assumption that the Taliban lack the same sort of facilities that allied forces use,” Person A informed lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have your phone number, they are able to track you down to within metres. This is exactly how the unit did.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities possessed advanced decryption, Person A confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Impact of the Information Leak

Early investigations provided to the committee indicated that at least 49 family members and associates of Afghans affected by the breach had been killed.

A legal restriction concerning the leak was enacted in late 2023 and prevented all details regarding the matter from being made public until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Given injunction limitations, the whistleblower and the aid group associated with advised affected households they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“Our suggestion was that they relocate where feasible and changed their mobile numbers. These represented the two main details that, if authorities obtained such data, would lead to them being traced,” Person A explained.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower contested that internal investigation conducted by a retired civil servant had been wrong to state that the obtaining of the dataset by the Taliban was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.

“The crucial point is that these individuals are not standing up to the authorities; they live secretly. The primary issue involves their previous employment.”

She detailed disturbing treatment suffered by at-risk Afghans, including electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and severe beatings.

“We have had toddlers who have had limbs fractured to force the family to reveal locations,” she testified.