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A confidential source has revealed the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities left behind confidential devices permitting the Taliban to identify Afghans who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Endangers Numerous in Danger

The source, called Person A, stated that Afghans affected by the data leak were advised to move homes and alter their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.

MPs are currently examining official handling of a serious leak of private information affecting nearly 19,000 individuals who had requested to move to Britain to escape the regime.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

A data file with private information, such as names, addresses and sometimes household data, was inadvertently disclosed by an official working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

The breach came to light only in August 2023, when identities of several individuals who had requested to relocate to Britain surfaced on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is this misconception that Afghan rulers are without comparable resources that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to the committee.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. Should they obtain your phone number, they can locate you down to within metres. This is exactly how specialized teams accomplished.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban owned advanced decryption, Person A confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Preliminary research provided to the investigation estimated that approximately fifty relatives and associates of individuals impacted by the incident had been killed.

A gag order concerning the leak was enacted in last year and blocked all details about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Due to legal constraints, the source and the volunteer organization associated with told individuals at risk they were supporting that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been compromised”.

“Our suggestion was that they relocate where feasible and switched their phone numbers. These represented the crucial data that, if authorities had access to these details, would lead to them being traced,” the source testified.

Disputed Conclusions

The whistleblower contested that internal investigation conducted by a former official had been mistaken to state that the possession of the information by the regime was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are in hiding from the Taliban; they are in hiding. The primary issue involves former occupations.”

The source explained terrible violence suffered by affected individuals, including electric shock torture, waterboarding, and physical abuse.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to try to get the family to reveal locations,” Person A stated.