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An informant has told a parliamentary probe that the UK failed to secure classified devices allowing Afghanistan's rulers to locate Afghans who worked with western forces.

Information Leak Puts Numerous in Danger

The whistleblower, known as Person A, explained that people concerned by the security lapse were advised to move homes and switch their contact details to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

Members of Parliament are currently examining official management of a massive leak of confidential data affecting nearly 19,000 Afghans who had asked to relocate to the United Kingdom to flee the Taliban.

Data Disclosure Occurred

An electronic document including their personal data, comprising names, contact details and in some cases household data, was mistakenly released by a staff member employed at British military command in early 2022.

The leak was discovered in late 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had sought to move to the UK surfaced on Facebook.

Regime's Resources

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that the Taliban are without comparable resources that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Should they obtain a contact number, they are able to track your exact position. That is what the unit did.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned sophisticated technology, the whistleblower declared: “They possess all resources.”

Impact of the Information Leak

Initial findings provided to the investigation estimated that at least 49 relatives and associates of people concerned by the leak had been executed.

A superinjunction regarding the breach was put in force in late 2023 and prevented all details concerning it from public disclosure until mid-2025.

Safety Measures

Due to legal constraints, Person A and the volunteer organization she collaborated with advised Afghan families they were supporting that they had “concerns that certain devices had been compromised”.

“We advised that they moved if they could and changed their mobile numbers. Those were the crucial data that, if the Taliban acquired such data, would lead to their location being found,” Person A explained.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower argued that internal investigation performed by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to state that the obtaining of the information by militant forces was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not confronting the authorities; they are in hiding. All concerns relate to past work history.”

The source explained disturbing violence suffered by concerned people, including electrocution, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to force relatives to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.