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A whistleblower has disclosed a parliamentary probe that the UK left behind classified technology enabling the militant group to identify Afghans who collaborated with international military.

Data Breach Endangers Numerous at Risk

Person A, identified as Person A, stated that people concerned by the security lapse were instructed to relocate and switch their phone numbers to avoid detection from the Taliban.

MPs are investigating official management of a catastrophic breach of personal details concerning nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to Britain to escape militant rule.

How the Leak Was Discovered

An electronic document including private information, including identities, addresses and in some cases family information, was mistakenly released by an official working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

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

Militant Technology

It appears there is a misunderstanding that Afghan rulers are without similar capabilities that we have,” she told the committee.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire mobile details, they are able to track your exact position. That's precisely what the unit did.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban owned necessary encryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Information Leak

Early investigations provided to the investigation estimated that at least 49 relatives and colleagues of Afghans affected by the leak had been murdered.

A legal restriction concerning the breach was implemented in last year and restricted relevant facts about it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Due to legal constraints, Person A and the volunteer organization she was working with informed individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that certain devices had been breached”.

“We recommended that they change residence if they could and changed their mobile numbers. Those were the two main details that, if the Taliban acquired such data, would lead to their location being found,” she said.

Contested Findings

The source argued that government assessment carried out by a former official had been wrong to state that the obtaining of the dataset by militant forces was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are in hiding from militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves past work history.”

The source explained horrific treatment experienced by at-risk Afghans, including electrocution, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to try to get households to say where someone is,” she testified.