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A whistleblower has disclosed an official investigation that British authorities left behind confidential equipment allowing Afghanistan's rulers to identify Afghans that had served with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

The source, called Person A, testified that people concerned by the information breach were advised to relocate and change their contact details to ensure their safety from the ruling authorities.

Members of Parliament are investigating the UK government's response of a catastrophic breach of private information affecting nearly 19,000 individuals who had asked to come to the United Kingdom to escape militant rule.

The Information Breach Occurred

An electronic document containing private information, including identities, contact details and sometimes family information, was mistakenly released by a worker employed at special operations center in February 2022.

The incident became known months later, when details of multiple applicants who had applied to settle in Britain appeared on social media.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is a false assumption that the Taliban lack similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told the committee.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have mobile details, they can locate your precise location. This is exactly how the unit achieved.”

During testimony about whether the Taliban had access to sophisticated technology, the whistleblower confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Consequences of the Information Leak

Early investigations submitted to the investigation estimated that at least 49 relatives and colleagues of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.

A legal restriction regarding the leak was put in force in last year and prevented all details about it from public disclosure until mid-2025.

Safety Measures

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she collaborated with told individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“We advised that they moved where feasible and switched their contact details. That constituted the two main details that, if authorities had access to these details, would lead to them being traced,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

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

“The thing to remember is that affected people are not confronting the Taliban; they live secretly. All concerns relate to past work history.”

The source explained disturbing abuse experienced by affected individuals, including electric shock torture, waterboarding, and violent assaults.

“We have had toddlers who have had limbs fractured to force the family to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.