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An informant has disclosed an official investigation that British authorities failed to secure confidential equipment allowing the militant group to identify Afghans that had served with allied troops.

Data Breach Puts Thousands in Danger

Person A, called Person A, testified that people concerned by the information breach were told to relocate and alter their phone numbers to protect themselves from militant forces.

MPs are looking into the Conservative government's management of a catastrophic breach of private information concerning approximately 19k Afghans who had asked to move to the United Kingdom to flee militant rule.

How the Leak Happened

A spreadsheet including private information, including names, phone numbers and sometimes relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by an official employed at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

The incident was discovered in late 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had applied to move to Britain surfaced on Facebook.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's a false assumption that the Taliban lack the same sort of facilities that allied forces use,” she told lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Should they obtain your phone number, they can trace your precise location. That's precisely what specialized teams accomplished.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned necessary encryption, Person A confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Consequences of the Information Leak

Early investigations presented to the committee suggested that at least 49 relatives and co-workers of individuals impacted by the incident had been murdered.

A legal restriction about the breach was implemented in late 2023 and blocked any information about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Given injunction limitations, Person A and the volunteer organization associated with informed Afghan families they were working with that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“We advised that they relocate when possible and switched their phone numbers. That constituted the primary information that, if the Taliban acquired these details, would lead to them being traced,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

Person A contested that internal investigation performed by a former official had been mistaken to conclude that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are in hiding from the Taliban; they live secretly. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”

She detailed disturbing treatment suffered by at-risk Afghans, comprising electrocution, waterboarding, and physical abuse.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to try to get relatives to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.