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A confidential source has revealed an official investigation that British authorities failed to secure confidential technology permitting the militant group to locate Afghans who worked with international military.

Data Breach Puts Numerous in Danger

The whistleblower, called Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the information breach were told to move homes and alter their phone numbers to protect themselves from the ruling authorities.

Members of Parliament are looking into the UK government's handling of a massive breach of personal details affecting almost nineteen thousand Afghans who had requested to come to the United Kingdom to flee militant rule.

The Information Breach Happened

An electronic document including their personal data, including identities, phone numbers and in some cases household data, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member working at special operations center in February 2022.

The breach came to light only in August 2023, when details of multiple applicants who had applied to move to Britain surfaced on Facebook.

Taliban Capabilities

It appears there is a misunderstanding that militant forces lack comparable resources that western nations possess,” Person A informed lawmakers.

Technology was deserted in Afghanistan; they have it. Should they obtain a contact number, they can trace your precise location. That is what specialized teams achieved.”

During testimony about regarding if authorities possessed advanced decryption, Person A declared: “They've got everything.”

Aftermath of the Security Lapse

Preliminary research provided to the inquiry estimated that at least 49 kin and colleagues of Afghans affected by the breach had been murdered.

A legal restriction regarding the breach was put in force in August 2023 and prevented relevant facts about it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Because she was restricted, Person A and the non-governmental organization she was working with informed affected households they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that somebody's phone had been breached”.

“We advised that they moved where feasible and changed their contact details. That constituted the crucial data that, should militant forces obtained such data, would result in identification and capture,” she said.

Disputed Conclusions

Person A argued that government assessment carried out by a former official had been mistaken to state that the obtaining of the information by militant forces was “minimally impact current risk levels”.

“The thing to remember is that these individuals are in hiding from militant forces; they live secretly. Everything boils down to past work history.”

The source explained disturbing 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 force households to reveal locations,” the whistleblower revealed.