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An informant has disclosed a parliamentary probe that British authorities left behind classified technology enabling the Taliban to locate Afghans that had served with western forces.

Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk

The whistleblower, known as Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the data leak were instructed to relocate and switch their contact details to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

Members of Parliament are currently examining official management of a serious disclosure of private information affecting almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to relocate to Britain to flee militant rule.

The Information Breach Happened

A data file containing private information, comprising names, addresses and occasionally family information, was accidentally leaked by a staff member employed at UK special forces headquarters in early 2022.

The leak came to light months later, when details of multiple applicants who had sought to relocate to the UK were posted on Facebook.

Militant Technology

It appears there is a false assumption that militant forces lack similar capabilities that western nations possess,” Person A informed lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Should they obtain a contact number, they are able to track your precise location. That is what intelligence groups achieved.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban had access to advanced decryption, the whistleblower stated: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Initial findings submitted to the committee suggested that at least 49 relatives and co-workers of individuals impacted by the incident had been killed.

A legal restriction concerning the breach was put in force in August 2023 and prevented all details concerning it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Because she was restricted, the source and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with advised affected households they were supporting that they had “concerns that mobile communications had been intercepted”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence where feasible and altered their mobile numbers. Those were the primary information that, if authorities had access to such data, would result in their location being found,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A contested that internal investigation performed by a former official had been mistaken to determine that the acquisition of the information by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The important fact is that affected people are not standing up to the authorities; they are in hiding. All concerns relate to former occupations.”

Person A described terrible treatment endured by at-risk Afghans, including electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“We have had toddlers who have had bones crushed to force relatives to say where someone is,” the whistleblower revealed.