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An informant has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure sensitive devices allowing the Taliban to track down local individuals who worked with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Numerous at Risk

The source, called Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the information breach were advised to relocate and switch their contact details to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are investigating the Conservative government's management of a serious disclosure of personal details involving almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had asked to come to the United Kingdom to avoid the regime.

How the Leak Was Discovered

A spreadsheet with confidential details, comprising identities, addresses and occasionally relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member employed at UK special forces headquarters in last year.

The leak was discovered only in August 2023, when the names of nine people who had sought to settle in the UK surfaced on social media.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's this misconception that Afghan rulers do not have similar capabilities that we have,” she told MPs.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain a contact number, they can locate your precise location. That's precisely what intelligence groups accomplished.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban possessed advanced decryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They've got everything.”

Consequences of the Security Lapse

Initial findings provided to the investigation estimated that at least 49 family members and co-workers of individuals impacted by the leak had been killed.

A legal restriction about the breach was put in force in August 2023 and prevented all details about it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Given injunction limitations, the source and the volunteer organization she was working with informed affected households they were working with that they had “concerns that somebody's phone had been intercepted”.

“We advised that they relocate where feasible and switched their phone numbers. These represented the two main details that, if authorities obtained these details, would result in them being traced,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

The source argued that internal investigation carried out by a former official had been mistaken to conclude that the acquisition of the information by the regime was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not standing up to militant forces; they are in hiding. All concerns relate to their previous employment.”

She detailed terrible violence experienced by at-risk Afghans, including electrocution, waterboarding, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had limbs fractured to force households to reveal locations,” Person A stated.