🔗 Share this article

A confidential source has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure sensitive equipment allowing the Taliban to identify Afghans who worked with allied troops.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, known as Person A, explained that people concerned by the security lapse were told to relocate and alter their phone numbers to ensure their safety from the ruling authorities.

Lawmakers are investigating the Conservative government's handling of a serious leak of personal details concerning almost nineteen thousand individuals who had asked to relocate to Britain to escape the Taliban.

Data Disclosure Happened

A spreadsheet with confidential details, comprising names, phone numbers and occasionally family information, was mistakenly released by a worker stationed at British military command in February 2022.

The incident became known months later, when identities of nine people who had sought to move to the UK were posted on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is this misconception that the Taliban lack similar capabilities that western nations possess,” she told lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have a contact number, they can locate you down to within metres. That is what specialized teams accomplished.”

When questioned about regarding if authorities had access to necessary encryption, the source stated: “They've got everything.”

Consequences of the Information Leak

Early investigations provided to the inquiry estimated that at least 49 family members and co-workers of Afghans affected by the breach had been executed.

A superinjunction concerning the incident was put in force in August 2023 and prevented all details about it from being made public until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, Person A and the aid group she collaborated with told individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“Our suggestion was that they relocate if they could and changed their mobile numbers. Those were the primary information that, if authorities acquired this information, would lead to them being traced,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A disputed that internal investigation conducted by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to conclude that the obtaining of the records by militant forces was “not significantly alter current risk levels”.

“The thing to remember is that affected people are in hiding from the authorities; they live secretly. All concerns relate to past work history.”

The source explained horrific treatment suffered by concerned people, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“Instances include toddlers who have had limbs fractured to force households to disclose hiding places,” she testified.