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A confidential source has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure sensitive technology allowing the Taliban to locate local individuals who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Endangers Numerous at Risk

The whistleblower, called Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the security lapse were told to change residences and change their contact details to protect themselves from militant forces.

MPs are investigating official handling of a serious breach of personal details involving approximately 19k Afghans who had requested to move to Britain to escape the Taliban.

How the Leak Happened

An electronic document including confidential details, comprising identities, phone numbers and in some cases household data, was mistakenly released by a worker employed at special operations center in early 2022.

The leak became known only in August 2023, when identities of nine people who had sought to relocate to the UK surfaced on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

Many believe there's a false assumption that the Taliban do not have similar capabilities that western nations possess,” she told MPs.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire your phone number, they can trace your exact position. That is what intelligence groups accomplished.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned advanced decryption, the source declared: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Early investigations provided to the committee suggested that at least 49 kin and associates of individuals impacted by the leak had been killed.

A gag order regarding the breach was put in force in August 2023 and restricted relevant facts concerning it from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Due to legal constraints, the source and the volunteer organization associated with told Afghan families they were supporting that they had “apprehensions that mobile communications had been intercepted”.

“We advised that they change residence where feasible and altered their mobile numbers. Those were the primary information that, if authorities acquired this information, would lead to identification and capture,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower argued that internal investigation performed by a former official had been mistaken to determine that the obtaining of the information by militant forces was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not confronting militant forces; they are in hiding. The primary issue involves former occupations.”

She detailed disturbing treatment experienced by concerned people, including electrocution, waterboarding, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had bones crushed to try to get the family to say where someone is,” the whistleblower revealed.