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A confidential source has told the Afghan leak inquiry that British authorities failed to secure confidential technology allowing Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals who collaborated with western forces.

Information Leak Puts Numerous at Risk

The source, known as Person A, explained that individuals impacted by the security lapse were advised to relocate and switch their contact details to avoid detection from militant forces.

Lawmakers are investigating official response of a serious breach of personal details concerning nearly 19,000 Afghans who had requested to move to the UK to avoid militant rule.

The Information Breach Was Discovered

An electronic document containing their personal data, such as names, contact details and sometimes household data, was accidentally leaked by a staff member stationed at UK special forces headquarters in last year.

The breach became known only in August 2023, when details of nine people who had sought to settle in Britain surfaced on social media.

Regime's Resources

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that the Taliban are without comparable resources that allied forces use,” she told the committee.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they possess it. Should they obtain a contact number, they can locate your exact position. This is exactly how intelligence groups accomplished.”

Under inquiry about whether the Taliban had access to advanced decryption, Person A confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Early investigations submitted to the committee estimated that no fewer than forty-nine family members and co-workers of Afghans affected by the breach had been executed.

A legal restriction regarding the breach was implemented in August 2023 and restricted relevant facts concerning it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Given injunction limitations, the source and the aid group she was working with told Afghan families they were supporting that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been breached”.

“We recommended that they moved where feasible and changed their phone numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, should militant forces had access to these details, would result in identification and capture,” Person A explained.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A contested that government assessment conducted by a former official had been mistaken to state that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that these individuals are in hiding from militant forces; they are in hiding. Everything boils down to past work history.”

She detailed disturbing treatment endured by concerned people, comprising electrocution, interrogation techniques, and severe beatings.

“We have had four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to force the family to disclose hiding places,” Person A stated.