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A whistleblower has disclosed an official investigation that British authorities failed to secure classified devices allowing the Taliban to track down Afghans who collaborated with allied troops.

Data Breach Puts Numerous in Danger

Person A, known as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were instructed to change residences and switch their phone numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.

MPs are looking into official handling of a catastrophic leak of personal details involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom to flee militant rule.

How the Leak Occurred

An electronic document including private information, comprising identities, addresses and occasionally household data, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member working at special operations center in last year.

The breach became known months later, when the names of several individuals who had sought to relocate to Britain surfaced on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be a false assumption that militant forces do not have similar capabilities that western nations possess,” she told MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain mobile details, they can trace your exact position. This is exactly how intelligence groups did.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban owned sophisticated technology, the source confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Impact of the Security Lapse

Initial findings provided to the inquiry suggested that approximately fifty kin and associates of individuals impacted by the breach had been murdered.

A gag order concerning the incident was enacted in August 2023 and blocked any information about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, the source and the non-governmental organization she was working with told Afghan families they were working with that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been compromised”.

“We advised that they change residence when possible and changed their contact details. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban had access to these details, would lead to their location being found,” she said.

Contested Findings

Person A disputed that government assessment conducted by a former official had been incorrect to conclude that the acquisition of the dataset by militant forces was “minimally impact present danger”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. Everything boils down to former occupations.”

She detailed horrific violence experienced by at-risk Afghans, involving electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had bones crushed to pressure relatives to say where someone is,” Person A stated.