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An informant has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK left behind confidential technology enabling the militant group to track down Afghans who worked with international military.

Data Breach Puts Thousands in Danger

The source, identified as Person A, explained that Afghans affected by the security lapse were advised to move homes and switch their contact details to ensure their safety from militant forces.

Members of Parliament are currently examining the UK government's management of a catastrophic disclosure of personal details involving almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to move to Britain to escape the Taliban.

How the Leak Occurred

An electronic document including their personal data, such as identities, addresses and in some cases relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member employed at special operations center in February 2022.

The incident became known months later, when details of multiple applicants who had sought to move to the UK appeared on social media.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be a false assumption that militant forces lack comparable resources that western nations possess,” Person A informed MPs.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have your phone number, they can locate your precise location. That's precisely what specialized teams achieved.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban possessed necessary encryption, the source confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Information Leak

Preliminary research submitted to the committee suggested that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and associates of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.

A gag order about the incident was put in force in late 2023 and blocked all details about it from public disclosure until mid-2025.

Protective Actions

Given injunction limitations, the source and the non-governmental organization associated with advised affected households they were working with that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“We advised that they relocate if they could and switched their mobile numbers. Those were the primary information that, if authorities obtained such data, would result in their location being found,” Person A explained.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower argued that government assessment conducted by a retired civil servant had been wrong to state that the obtaining of the information by militant forces was “minimally impact present danger”.

“The crucial point is that these individuals are in hiding from the Taliban; they live secretly. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”

The source explained disturbing treatment suffered by at-risk Afghans, including electric shock torture, waterboarding, and physical abuse.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to pressure the family to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.