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An informant has told an official investigation that the UK left behind confidential technology allowing Afghanistan's rulers to track down Afghans who collaborated with allied troops.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

Person A, called Person A, explained that people concerned by the security lapse were advised to change residences and switch their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the ruling authorities.

MPs are currently examining the UK government's management of a massive breach of confidential data affecting nearly 19,000 Afghans who had requested to relocate to Britain to escape the Taliban.

The Information Breach Happened

A data file with private information, such as names, phone numbers and in some cases relative details, was mistakenly released by a worker working at special operations center in last year.

The leak was discovered in late 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had applied to relocate to Britain were posted on social media.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that militant forces are without similar capabilities that we have,” the whistleblower testified to the committee.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Should they obtain your phone number, they are able to track your precise location. This is exactly how specialized teams achieved.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban owned advanced decryption, the source confirmed: “They've got everything.”

Aftermath of the Security Lapse

Early investigations presented to the committee suggested that at least 49 relatives and associates of people concerned by the breach had been executed.

A superinjunction concerning the leak was implemented in last year and prevented all details regarding the matter from being made public until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Because she was restricted, Person A and the non-governmental organization she was working with told affected households they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been breached”.

“We advised that they relocate if they could and changed their contact details. Those were the crucial data that, if authorities acquired this information, would lead to them being traced,” the source testified.

Contested Findings

The source disputed that internal investigation performed by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to conclude that the obtaining of the dataset by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.

“The crucial point is that these individuals are not confronting militant forces; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to their previous employment.”

The source explained horrific violence suffered by affected individuals, including electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and physical abuse.

“We have had toddlers who have had bones crushed to try to get the family to say where someone is,” Person A stated.