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A whistleblower has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK abandoned classified equipment enabling the Taliban to identify Afghans who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Numerous in Danger

The source, called Person A, testified that people concerned by the information breach were told to relocate and switch their mobile numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

MPs are looking into the Conservative government's handling of a massive disclosure of confidential data involving approximately 19k Afghans who had requested to come to the UK to escape the regime.

How the Leak Happened

A data file with confidential details, such as identities, phone numbers and sometimes relative details, was accidentally leaked by a staff member working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

The incident was discovered months later, when identities of several individuals who had requested to move to Britain surfaced on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that militant forces do not have similar capabilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Should they obtain your phone number, they can locate your precise location. This is exactly how specialized teams achieved.”

During testimony about if militant forces possessed necessary encryption, Person A declared: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Information Leak

Preliminary research provided to the committee indicated that approximately fifty relatives and colleagues of individuals impacted by the breach had been murdered.

A superinjunction concerning the incident was enacted in August 2023 and blocked any information concerning it from being made public until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Due to legal constraints, the source and the aid group she collaborated with advised individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“We advised that they relocate where feasible and changed their phone numbers. These represented the crucial data that, if authorities obtained these details, would lead to them being traced,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A argued that government assessment carried out by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to conclude that the acquisition of the records by the regime was “not significantly alter present danger”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not confronting the authorities; they remain concealed. The primary issue involves their previous employment.”

She detailed horrific abuse suffered by affected individuals, including electrocution, interrogation techniques, and severe beatings.

“We have had young kids who have had bones crushed to pressure the family to say where someone is,” the whistleblower revealed.