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A confidential source has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities abandoned confidential devices allowing the militant group to identify Afghans who collaborated with international military.

Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk

The source, identified as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the data leak were instructed to change residences and change their mobile numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

MPs are currently examining the Conservative government's management of a massive disclosure of private information affecting almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had asked to relocate to Britain to avoid the regime.

The Information Breach Was Discovered

A spreadsheet including their personal data, including names, addresses and in some cases family information, was mistakenly released by a staff member stationed at British military command in February 2022.

The incident was discovered in late 2023, when identities of nine people who had applied to settle in the UK surfaced on online platforms.

Regime's Resources

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that militant forces are without comparable resources that western nations possess,” Person A informed lawmakers.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have a contact number, they are able to track your exact position. That is what specialized teams achieved.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned necessary encryption, the source declared: “They possess all resources.”

Consequences of the Data Breach

Early investigations presented to the committee suggested that at least 49 kin and associates of Afghans affected by the leak had been killed.

A legal restriction about the leak was put in force in late 2023 and prevented any information concerning it from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

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

“We recommended that they change residence where feasible and altered their phone numbers. These represented the two main details that, if authorities obtained this information, would lead to identification and capture,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower argued that internal investigation conducted by a former official had been wrong to state that the possession of the dataset by militant forces was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not confronting militant forces; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to former occupations.”

Person A described terrible abuse endured by concerned people, involving electric shock torture, waterboarding, and severe beatings.

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