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A whistleblower has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned confidential equipment enabling the militant group to track down local individuals who worked with international military.

Information Leak Puts Numerous in Danger

Person A, identified as Person A, stated that people concerned by the information breach were instructed to move homes and switch their phone numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

MPs are investigating the UK government's management of a serious disclosure of personal details concerning nearly 19,000 individuals who had asked to come to the UK to escape the Taliban.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

A data file with private information, including names, addresses and in some cases family information, was mistakenly released by a worker employed at special operations center in early 2022.

The incident became known months later, when identities of several individuals who had applied to move to Britain were posted on Facebook.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is a misunderstanding that the Taliban do not have comparable resources that we have,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have your phone number, they can locate your exact position. That's precisely what specialized teams did.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities had access to sophisticated technology, the source confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Consequences of the Data Breach

Initial findings submitted to the inquiry estimated that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and associates of Afghans affected by the breach had been murdered.

A legal restriction regarding the incident was implemented in late 2023 and prevented any information regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Due to legal constraints, Person A and the non-governmental organization associated with informed affected households they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“We advised that they moved when possible and switched their mobile numbers. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban acquired this information, would result in identification and capture,” she said.

Contested Findings

The whistleblower contested that internal investigation performed by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to determine that the acquisition of the dataset by militant forces was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.

“The crucial point is that affected people are not standing up to the authorities; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to past work history.”

Person A described disturbing abuse suffered by at-risk Afghans, comprising electrocution, waterboarding, and physical abuse.

“Instances include young kids who have had limbs fractured to force households to reveal locations,” Person A stated.