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An informant has revealed an official investigation that the UK abandoned classified devices allowing the militant group to identify Afghans that had served with western forces.

Data Breach Endangers Numerous at Risk

The source, called Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the information breach were told to change residences and alter their phone numbers to ensure their safety from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are looking into the Conservative government's response of a catastrophic breach of private information concerning nearly 19,000 individuals who had asked to come to the UK to escape the Taliban.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

An electronic document including private information, including names, phone numbers and occasionally relative details, was accidentally leaked by an official employed at British military command in early 2022.

The breach came to light only in August 2023, when identities of multiple applicants who had requested to relocate to the UK were posted on social media.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be a misunderstanding that militant forces are without comparable resources that we have,” she told MPs.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have your phone number, they can locate your exact position. This is exactly how specialized teams achieved.”

Under inquiry about if militant forces possessed necessary encryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They've got everything.”

Impact of the Security Lapse

Early investigations presented to the investigation suggested that at least 49 family members and colleagues of Afghans affected by the incident had been murdered.

A legal restriction regarding the breach was enacted in last year and prevented any information regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Due to legal constraints, Person A and the volunteer organization she was working with advised Afghan families they were working with that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been breached”.

“Our suggestion was that they change residence when possible and switched their contact details. Those were the two main details that, if authorities had access to this information, would lead to identification and capture,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower disputed that internal investigation performed by an ex-government employee had been mistaken to conclude that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “minimally impact present danger”.

“The thing to remember is that these individuals are not standing up to the authorities; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to former occupations.”

She detailed disturbing treatment endured by affected individuals, including electrocution, simulated drowning, and severe beatings.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to try to get relatives to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.