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A confidential source has told a parliamentary probe that British authorities abandoned classified equipment enabling the militant group to identify Afghans that had served with international military.

Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk

The source, identified as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the data leak were advised to change residences and alter their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are currently examining the UK government's response of a catastrophic disclosure of personal details involving almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had applied to move to Britain to avoid militant rule.

Data Disclosure Occurred

A data file with private information, including names, contact details and occasionally family information, was accidentally leaked by an official employed at special operations center in February 2022.

The incident came to light in late 2023, when the names of nine people who had sought to settle in the UK appeared on social media.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is this misconception that militant forces do not have the same sort of facilities that allied forces use,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have a contact number, they can trace your exact position. This is exactly how the unit did.”

During testimony about if militant forces had access to advanced decryption, Person A declared: “They've got everything.”

Aftermath of the Security Lapse

Preliminary research presented to the investigation estimated that approximately fifty relatives and co-workers of Afghans affected by the leak had been executed.

A gag order regarding the leak was implemented in late 2023 and restricted any information about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Because she was restricted, the source and the non-governmental organization associated with advised affected households they were working with that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been compromised”.

“We advised that they relocate where feasible and altered their contact details. These represented the crucial data that, should militant forces had access to this information, would cause their location being found,” Person A explained.

Disputed Conclusions

The source argued that an official review carried out by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to conclude that the acquisition of the information by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.

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

Person A described horrific treatment experienced by affected individuals, comprising electrocution, waterboarding, and physical abuse.

“There are cases of four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to force relatives to say where someone is,” Person A stated.