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A whistleblower has told an official investigation that British authorities failed to secure sensitive devices enabling Afghanistan's rulers to locate local individuals who worked with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, known as Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the data leak were advised to change residences and alter their phone numbers to avoid detection from the Taliban.

Members of Parliament are looking into the Conservative government's management of a massive disclosure of confidential data involving nearly 19,000 Afghans who had requested to move to the UK to escape militant rule.

How the Leak Occurred

A data file including private information, such as names, phone numbers and occasionally family information, was inadvertently disclosed by an official working at British military command in last year.

The leak came to light in late 2023, when details of nine people who had applied to relocate to Britain were posted on social media.

Taliban Capabilities

“There seems to be a misunderstanding that militant forces lack comparable resources that we have,” Person A informed lawmakers.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Should they obtain mobile details, they are able to track your exact position. That's precisely what the unit achieved.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban had access to sophisticated technology, the whistleblower stated: “They have complete capability.”

Aftermath of the Security Lapse

Early investigations submitted to the inquiry estimated that at least 49 relatives and colleagues of individuals impacted by the incident had been murdered.

A superinjunction concerning the breach was put in force in last year and prevented relevant facts concerning it from public disclosure until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she collaborated with told Afghan families they were supporting that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been breached”.

“We advised that they change residence where feasible and switched their phone numbers. That constituted the primary information that, if the Taliban obtained these details, would result in identification and capture,” she said.

Contested Findings

Person A disputed that internal investigation performed by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to determine that the possession of the dataset by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The crucial point is that these individuals are not standing up to the Taliban; they live secretly. All concerns relate to former occupations.”

Person A described horrific abuse suffered by at-risk Afghans, involving electric shock torture, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to force relatives to reveal locations,” Person A stated.