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A whistleblower has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK failed to secure classified technology enabling the militant group to identify Afghans who worked with allied troops.

Information Leak Puts Thousands in Danger

The whistleblower, known as Person A, explained that people concerned by the security lapse were instructed to change residences and switch their contact details to protect themselves from the Taliban.

MPs are currently examining the Conservative government's handling of a serious disclosure of private information involving approximately 19k Afghans who had requested to move to the United Kingdom to flee the regime.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

An electronic document with private information, such as identities, contact details and in some cases relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by a worker stationed at special operations center in early 2022.

The breach was discovered in late 2023, when identities of several individuals who had requested to move to the UK appeared on social media.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is a false assumption that the Taliban are without comparable resources that we have,” Person A informed lawmakers.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire a contact number, they can trace your precise location. That is what specialized teams accomplished.”

During testimony about regarding if authorities owned advanced decryption, Person A stated: “They possess all resources.”

Consequences of the Data Breach

Early investigations provided to the inquiry suggested that approximately fifty kin and associates of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.

A legal restriction about the breach was enacted in last year and restricted any information regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the aid group associated with advised affected households they were working with that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been compromised”.

“We advised that they change residence if they could and altered their mobile numbers. These represented the primary information that, if the Taliban acquired such data, would lead to them being traced,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A disputed that government assessment performed by a former official had been incorrect to determine that the obtaining of the dataset by militant forces was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that these individuals are in hiding from the authorities; they live secretly. Everything boils down to former occupations.”

The source explained horrific abuse suffered by concerned people, involving electrocution, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to try to get households to reveal locations,” Person A stated.