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A confidential source has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK abandoned classified equipment enabling Afghanistan's rulers to locate Afghans who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

The source, known as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were advised to change residences and change their mobile numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are investigating the UK government's handling of a massive leak of confidential data concerning almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to relocate to the UK to avoid militant rule.

The Information Breach Was Discovered

A spreadsheet including private information, including identities, contact details and sometimes family information, was mistakenly released by a staff member working at British military command in last year.

The incident became known only in August 2023, when the names of multiple applicants who had requested to move to Britain were posted on Facebook.

Militant Technology

It appears there is this misconception that Afghan rulers are without comparable resources that we have,” Person A informed lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain mobile details, they can trace your exact position. That's precisely what the unit achieved.”

Under inquiry about if militant forces had access to sophisticated technology, the whistleblower stated: “They've got everything.”

Aftermath of the Information Leak

Preliminary research provided to the investigation indicated that approximately fifty kin and colleagues of individuals impacted by the leak had been executed.

A legal restriction concerning the leak was implemented in late 2023 and prevented all details concerning it from media reporting until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, the source and the non-governmental organization she was working with told Afghan families they were working with that they had “concerns that mobile communications had been breached”.

“We advised that they moved where feasible and switched their phone numbers. These represented the crucial data that, if authorities had access to this information, would cause them being traced,” Person A explained.

Contested Findings

The whistleblower disputed that government assessment carried out by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to conclude that the possession of the dataset by the Taliban was “not significantly alter present danger”.

“The crucial point is that these Afghans are not confronting militant forces; they are in hiding. The primary issue involves past work history.”

The source explained horrific treatment endured by at-risk Afghans, comprising electrocution, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had their arms broken to try to get households to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.