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A whistleblower has revealed a parliamentary probe that British authorities left behind sensitive devices permitting the Taliban to identify Afghans who worked with allied troops.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

Person A, identified as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the information breach were told to move homes and alter their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.

MPs are looking into the UK government's management of a serious breach of confidential data involving approximately 19k Afghans who had applied to come to Britain to flee militant rule.

Data Disclosure Happened

A data file including their personal data, including identities, phone numbers and sometimes family information, was accidentally leaked by a staff member employed at UK special forces headquarters in early 2022.

The incident became known only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had applied to settle in the UK appeared on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that Afghan rulers lack comparable resources that allied forces use,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire a contact number, they are able to track you down to within metres. This is exactly how intelligence groups accomplished.”

During testimony about regarding if authorities owned sophisticated technology, the whistleblower confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Information Leak

Early investigations presented to the inquiry indicated that no fewer than forty-nine kin and colleagues of people concerned by the leak had been killed.

A superinjunction about the leak was enacted in late 2023 and blocked any information regarding the matter from media reporting until mid-2025.

Protective Actions

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the aid group she collaborated with advised affected households they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“Our suggestion was that they relocate if they could and altered their contact details. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would lead to their location being found,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower argued that government assessment performed by an ex-government employee had been wrong to determine that the obtaining of the records by the Taliban was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that affected people are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. Everything boils down to past work history.”

Person A described disturbing violence suffered by concerned people, involving electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.

“We have had young kids who have had limbs fractured to pressure the family to say where someone is,” she testified.