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A confidential source has revealed an official investigation that the UK failed to secure sensitive devices permitting the Taliban to track down local individuals who worked with western forces.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands at Risk

The source, called Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were instructed to change residences and switch their phone numbers to ensure their safety from militant forces.

Lawmakers are investigating the UK government's handling of a massive breach of confidential data involving almost nineteen thousand individuals who had requested to relocate to Britain to flee the Taliban.

How the Leak Was Discovered

A data file containing their personal data, including identities, phone numbers and sometimes relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by a worker stationed at special operations center in February 2022.

The breach came to light only in August 2023, when the names of several individuals who had requested to settle in the UK appeared on online platforms.

Militant Technology

It appears there is this misconception that the Taliban lack similar capabilities that we have,” she told MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. If they have your phone number, they can trace your precise location. This is exactly how specialized teams did.”

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

Consequences of the Information Leak

Initial findings submitted to the committee suggested that no fewer than forty-nine family members and co-workers of people concerned by the leak had been killed.

A superinjunction concerning the leak was enacted in late 2023 and blocked all details about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Given injunction limitations, Person A and the aid group she was working with advised Afghan families they were working with that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been breached”.

“Our suggestion was that they moved when possible and altered their phone numbers. That constituted the primary information that, should militant forces acquired these details, would cause identification and capture,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower argued that government assessment conducted by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to determine that the acquisition of the dataset by the Taliban was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not standing up to the authorities; they are in hiding. The primary issue involves their previous employment.”

Person A described terrible abuse experienced by concerned people, involving electrocution, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“We have had toddlers who have had bones crushed to pressure relatives to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.