Blog

Three British men are in custody in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, including “dangerous tourist” Miles Routledge.

Mr. Routledge, from Birmingham, is a thrill-seeking traveler trying to visit the world’s most dangerous places. He was evacuated from the country during the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

One of the other two men has been named as Kevin Cornwell charity doctor.

Another UK citizen who runs a hotel in Kabul has been arrested.

A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are working hard to ensure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting the families.”

Cornwell, arrested by the Taliban’s General Intelligence Directorate (GDI), and the anonymous Briton are in good health, according to Scott Richards of the Presidium Network, a humanitarian non-profit organization.

Richards said: “There has been no significant contact (with the men), there has been no access by international monitoring agencies… and there has been no other form of access to the people to date.”

“We are very hopeful that contact will be made.”

Neither has been charged and no charges have been filed, but they remain in detention at a facility for foreign nationals run by the GDI.

Middlesbrough’s married father, Mr Cornwell, was arrested on January 11 after the Taliban accused him of possessing an illegal firearm in his bedroom safe at the Darya Village Hotel. His family said Taliban authorities granted him a license to use the weapon.

The hotel is popular with aid workers such as Mr. Cornwell, for whom there is some concern due to his need for medication.

Richards added: “The clear concern here is that detainees have not been allowed access to consular officers or international observers. There is no clarity as to the legal process in Afghanistan, such as the right to representation.”

“There is no clarity on the charges. Kevin is a humanitarian worker, in contact with the United Nations, Unicef ​​and the World Food Program. To have people involved in such work with the incredible needs of Afghanistan right now and potentially being arbitrarily detained, it will make it difficult to ensure the safety of other aid workers.

Meanwhile, Routledge is a controversial figure who has gained notoriety for traveling to dangerous places.

The Birmingham man said he was on vacation when the Taliban stormed the Afghan capital in August 2021.

He said at the time: “I was evacuated at 4:00 (now it’s 2 am) with 100 or more civilians, I couldn’t send messages because there were cars emitting signals that detonated bombs, it blocked my airpods connection, so I think which blocked all wifi/data.

“The Taliban let us through the airport and we met a lot of them, a very long transition period, but they were all smiling and greeting each other, some taking selfies with them.

“I slept on a dirt/gravel road and woke up to cars going by.

“We are in a new safe house and we are all hydrated, happy and ready for a few hours of sleep.”

The former Loughborough University physics student has previously posted photographs of himself firing guns with Taliban fighters.