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An informant has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned classified equipment permitting the Taliban to locate Afghans who worked with international military.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, identified as Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the security lapse were instructed to change residences and alter their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the ruling authorities.

MPs are looking into the UK government's management of a massive breach of personal details affecting approximately 19k Afghans who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom to avoid the Taliban.

The Information Breach Occurred

A data file including confidential details, comprising identities, addresses and occasionally family information, was accidentally leaked by a staff member employed at British military command in early 2022.

The breach became known only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had requested to relocate to the UK were posted on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is this misconception that militant forces do not have similar capabilities that we have,” Person A informed the committee.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire mobile details, they can locate your exact position. That's precisely what intelligence groups accomplished.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban owned sophisticated technology, the source stated: “They've got everything.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Initial findings submitted to the investigation suggested that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and colleagues of individuals impacted by the incident had been murdered.

A gag order about the breach was enacted in last year and restricted all details about it from public disclosure until mid-2025.

Protective Actions

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she was working with informed Afghan families they were working with that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“We recommended that they relocate if they could and changed their contact details. Those were the crucial data that, should militant forces had access to these details, would cause them being traced,” Person A explained.

Contested Findings

The source argued that government assessment performed by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to state that the acquisition of the information by the Taliban was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. All concerns relate to past work history.”

She detailed horrific violence suffered by concerned people, comprising electrocution, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“Instances include young kids who have had limbs fractured to force relatives to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.