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A whistleblower has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities left behind classified equipment permitting the militant group to locate Afghans who worked with western forces.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the information breach were told to move homes and alter their phone numbers to ensure their safety from the ruling authorities.

MPs are looking into the UK government's handling of a catastrophic disclosure of confidential data concerning nearly 19,000 individuals who had asked to come to the United Kingdom to avoid militant rule.

How the Leak Occurred

A data file containing private information, comprising identities, phone numbers and in some cases household data, was accidentally leaked by a worker employed at British military command in early 2022.

The incident came to light in late 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had requested to move to the UK appeared on social media.

Taliban Capabilities

Many believe there's this misconception that the Taliban are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” the whistleblower testified to the committee.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire mobile details, they can locate you down to within metres. That's precisely what intelligence groups accomplished.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities had access to sophisticated technology, Person A stated: “They've got everything.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Early investigations provided to the committee indicated that approximately fifty relatives and co-workers of individuals impacted by the incident had been executed.

A legal restriction regarding the leak was put in force in last year and restricted all details concerning it from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the aid group she was working with advised Afghan families they were supporting that they had “concerns that certain devices had been compromised”.

“We advised that they change residence if they could and altered their phone numbers. These represented the crucial data that, if the Taliban had access to these details, would lead to them being traced,” Person A explained.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower argued that an official review performed by a former official had been incorrect to determine that the acquisition of the dataset by militant forces was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.

“The crucial point is that these individuals are in hiding from militant forces; they are in hiding. The primary issue involves former occupations.”

She detailed horrific treatment suffered by affected individuals, involving electrocution, interrogation techniques, and severe beatings.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had their arms broken to try to get the family to say where someone is,” Person A stated.