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A whistleblower has revealed a parliamentary probe that British authorities abandoned sensitive devices allowing Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals that had served with allied troops.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

Person A, called Person A, stated that individuals impacted by the security lapse were instructed to change residences and change their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are looking into the UK government's response of a serious leak of confidential data concerning nearly 19,000 Afghans who had requested to relocate to the United Kingdom to escape militant rule.

Data Disclosure Occurred

An electronic document with confidential details, such as names, phone numbers and occasionally family information, was accidentally leaked by a worker employed at special operations center in last year.

The breach was discovered only in August 2023, when the names of nine people who had sought to relocate to Britain were posted on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is a false assumption that Afghan rulers lack the same sort of facilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to lawmakers.

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

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

Impact of the Security Lapse

Preliminary research presented to the committee indicated that no fewer than forty-nine family members and colleagues of Afghans affected by the breach had been murdered.

A legal restriction about the leak was implemented in late 2023 and restricted all details concerning it from media reporting until mid-2025.

Security Recommendations

Because she was restricted, Person A and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with advised individuals at risk they were working with that they had “apprehensions that mobile communications had been intercepted”.

“Our suggestion was that they moved when possible and changed their mobile numbers. That constituted the primary information that, if the Taliban had access to this information, would result in identification and capture,” she said.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower contested that internal investigation conducted by an ex-government employee had been incorrect to conclude that the possession of the records by the regime was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.

“The crucial point is that these Afghans are not standing up to the Taliban; they live secretly. The primary issue involves past work history.”

The source explained disturbing treatment experienced by at-risk Afghans, including electrocution, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“There are cases of four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to force households to reveal locations,” she testified.