🔗 Share this article

A whistleblower has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned classified technology permitting the militant group to locate local individuals who worked with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Numerous in Danger

Person A, called Person A, explained that people concerned by the data leak were told to move homes and switch their contact details to avoid detection from militant forces.

MPs are investigating the Conservative government's management 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 Occurred

A spreadsheet containing private information, such as names, addresses and in some cases household data, was mistakenly released by an official working at British military command in February 2022.

The incident became known in late 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had sought to move to Britain surfaced on social media.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is a false assumption that militant forces are without similar capabilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to the committee.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire your phone number, they can locate your exact position. This is exactly how the unit achieved.”

When questioned about regarding if authorities possessed necessary encryption, Person A declared: “They've got everything.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Preliminary research presented to the committee indicated that at least 49 kin and co-workers of Afghans affected by the leak had been executed.

A superinjunction about the incident was put in force in August 2023 and prevented any information concerning it from media reporting until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she collaborated with told affected households they were working with that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“We advised that they relocate if they could and switched their mobile numbers. That constituted the two main details that, should militant forces acquired these details, would result in identification and capture,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

The source disputed that internal investigation carried out by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to conclude that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not standing up to militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves their previous employment.”

The source explained horrific treatment suffered by affected individuals, comprising electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“We have had young kids who have had their arms broken to force relatives to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.