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A whistleblower has told the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK abandoned sensitive equipment enabling the Taliban to locate local individuals who worked with international military.

Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger

Person A, called Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the data leak were instructed to move homes and change their contact details to protect themselves from militant forces.

Lawmakers are investigating official management of a catastrophic breach of confidential data affecting nearly 19,000 Afghans who had requested to come to Britain to escape militant rule.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

An electronic document containing confidential details, such as names, addresses and occasionally household data, was mistakenly released by an official employed at special operations center in February 2022.

The breach came to light only in August 2023, when details of multiple applicants who had sought to move to the UK surfaced on social media.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's a false assumption that Afghan rulers are without similar capabilities that we have,” she told MPs.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have your phone number, they can trace your exact position. This is exactly how specialized teams accomplished.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban had access to sophisticated technology, Person A confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Consequences of the Data Breach

Initial findings presented to the investigation indicated that at least 49 relatives and colleagues of Afghans affected by the leak had been killed.

A gag order concerning the incident was enacted in last year and restricted any information regarding the matter from media reporting until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, Person A and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with informed Afghan families they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence where feasible and changed their contact details. That constituted the primary information that, if authorities acquired this information, would result in identification and capture,” she said.

Contested Findings

The whistleblower disputed that internal investigation conducted by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to state that the obtaining of the records by militant forces was “not significantly alter present danger”.

“The crucial point is that affected people are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves former occupations.”

The source explained disturbing violence endured by at-risk Afghans, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“Instances include young kids who have had their arms broken to force relatives to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.