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An informant has disclosed a parliamentary probe that the UK left behind sensitive technology enabling the militant group to identify local individuals who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

Person A, known as Person A, explained that people concerned by the information breach were told to move homes and alter their mobile numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

MPs are looking into the Conservative government's management of a catastrophic breach of personal details involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to the UK to avoid the Taliban.

Data Disclosure Occurred

A spreadsheet containing their personal data, comprising names, contact details and sometimes family information, was accidentally leaked by a worker employed at UK special forces headquarters in last year.

The breach came to light only in August 2023, when details of several individuals who had applied to relocate to Britain appeared on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be a false assumption that Afghan rulers do not have comparable resources that western nations possess,” she told the committee.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain your phone number, they can locate you down to within metres. That's precisely what specialized teams achieved.”

When questioned about regarding if authorities had access to advanced decryption, the source confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Impact of the Security Lapse

Preliminary research submitted to the committee estimated that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and colleagues of people concerned by the incident had been killed.

A superinjunction regarding the leak was put in force in late 2023 and restricted relevant facts about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, the source and the aid group she collaborated with informed individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been breached”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence when possible and altered their mobile numbers. These represented the two main details that, if the Taliban had access to these details, would result in their location being found,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A disputed that internal investigation conducted by a former official had been incorrect to conclude that the obtaining of the records by militant forces was “unlikely to substantially change current risk levels”.

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

She detailed horrific treatment experienced by affected individuals, involving electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“We have had young kids who have had their arms broken to pressure relatives to reveal locations,” Person A stated.