🔗 Share this article

A whistleblower has told the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK left behind confidential technology enabling the militant group to identify Afghans who collaborated with western forces.

Information Leak Endangers Numerous at Risk

The whistleblower, called Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the data leak were told to move homes and switch their mobile numbers to avoid detection from the ruling authorities.

Members of Parliament are investigating the Conservative government's management of a catastrophic breach of private information involving almost nineteen thousand individuals who had applied to move to Britain to flee militant rule.

How the Leak Happened

An electronic document including private information, comprising names, phone numbers and sometimes family information, was accidentally leaked by an official stationed at special operations center in February 2022.

The incident came to light in late 2023, when details of nine people who had applied to settle in Britain surfaced on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is this misconception that militant forces do not have the same sort of facilities that we have,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have mobile details, they can locate your exact position. That's precisely what the unit achieved.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban owned sophisticated technology, the whistleblower declared: “They've got everything.”

Impact of the Information Leak

Early investigations presented to the investigation suggested that at least 49 family members and co-workers of Afghans affected by the incident had been executed.

A legal restriction concerning the leak was put in force in August 2023 and blocked all details concerning it from being made public until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization associated with told individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been breached”.

“We recommended that they relocate when possible and changed their contact details. That constituted the primary information that, should militant forces had access to these details, would result in their location being found,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

Person A argued that government assessment carried out by a former official had been wrong to conclude that the acquisition of the records by the regime was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.

“The thing to remember is that affected people are not standing up to the Taliban; they live secretly. The primary issue involves past work history.”

Person A described terrible treatment endured by at-risk Afghans, comprising electric shock torture, waterboarding, and physical abuse.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had limbs fractured to force relatives to disclose hiding places,” she testified.