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An informant has told a parliamentary probe that British authorities failed to secure confidential devices enabling Afghanistan's rulers to locate local individuals who worked with allied troops.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands in Danger

Person A, called Person A, stated that people concerned by the security lapse were instructed to relocate and alter their contact details to protect themselves from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are investigating the UK government's response of a serious disclosure of personal details involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had requested to come to the United Kingdom to escape militant rule.

How the Leak Was Discovered

A data file containing confidential details, comprising identities, phone numbers and sometimes relative details, was mistakenly released by a staff member stationed at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

The breach became known in late 2023, when identities of several individuals who had requested to relocate to Britain surfaced on online platforms.

Militant Technology

It appears there is a false assumption that Afghan rulers are without comparable resources that we have,” she told the committee.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Once they acquire a contact number, they are able to track your exact position. This is exactly how intelligence groups did.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities possessed advanced decryption, Person A stated: “They possess all resources.”

Consequences of the Data Breach

Initial findings provided to the committee suggested that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and colleagues of Afghans affected by the incident had been murdered.

A legal restriction concerning the breach was enacted in late 2023 and restricted relevant facts concerning it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Because she was restricted, Person A and the aid group associated with advised individuals at risk they were working with that they had “apprehensions that certain devices had been breached”.

“We recommended that they change residence if they could and changed their mobile numbers. Those were the primary information that, if the Taliban had access to such data, would cause their location being found,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

The source argued that an official review performed by a former official had been mistaken to conclude that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that these individuals are not confronting the authorities; they live secretly. The primary issue involves past work history.”

Person A described horrific violence suffered by at-risk Afghans, including electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“Instances include toddlers who have had their arms broken to pressure households to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.