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A whistleblower has disclosed a parliamentary probe that the UK failed to secure classified devices enabling the Taliban to track down local individuals who collaborated with international military.

Information Leak Endangers Numerous at Risk

The source, called Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the data leak were instructed to move homes and change their contact details to ensure their safety from militant forces.

MPs are looking into official response of a serious disclosure of private information involving approximately 19k individuals who had requested to come to the UK to escape the regime.

The Information Breach Happened

An electronic document with their personal data, such as identities, contact details and sometimes relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by an official stationed at special operations center in last year.

The incident came to light in late 2023, when details of multiple applicants who had sought to move to the UK surfaced on online platforms.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is a false assumption that the Taliban do not have the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” she told MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Should they obtain mobile details, they are able to track your precise location. This is exactly how specialized teams did.”

Under inquiry about regarding if authorities owned advanced decryption, Person A stated: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Information Leak

Early investigations provided to the investigation indicated that no fewer than forty-nine family members and co-workers of Afghans affected by the breach had been killed.

A gag order concerning the incident was implemented in last year and restricted any information regarding the matter from public disclosure until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Due to legal constraints, Person A and the volunteer organization associated with informed individuals at risk they were working with that they had “concerns that certain devices had been intercepted”.

“We recommended that they relocate where feasible and altered their contact details. These represented the two main details that, if authorities acquired these details, would result in identification and capture,” Person A explained.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower contested that government assessment performed by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to conclude that the acquisition of the information by the regime was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that affected people are not confronting militant forces; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to past work history.”

The source explained terrible violence endured by concerned people, including electric shock torture, waterboarding, and severe beatings.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to pressure households to disclose hiding places,” she testified.