Three Britons held by Taliban secret police
THREE British men are being held by Taliban secret police in Afghanistan, it emerged last night.
Charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53 and an unnamed man, who manages a hotel for aid workers in Kabul, have been detained since early January.
“Danger tourist” Miles Routledge, 23, who had to be evacuated when the Islamic fundamentalists seized power in 2021, was also said to be in captivity after returning to the country.
Mr Routledge, a former Loughborough University physics student, had recently posted videos of him firing assault weapons with members of the Taliban.
Married father Mr Cornwell, from Middlesbrough, had been in Afghanistan for 11 months working as a medic for Iqarus International, which provides free health care to local people.
He was arrested in a raid at his hotel by officers from the General Directorate of Intelligence on January 11.
Mr Cornwell stands accused of having an illegal firearm in the safe in his room at the Darya Village Hotel, despite having a permit from the Taliban government.
The manager of the resort – popular with Western humanitarian staff – was also detained in the raid and both are being held in a secure unit for foreign nationals run by the GDI.
No charges have been brought and they have not been granted legal representation.
Scott Richards, an experienced negotiator with conflict zone charity Presidium Network, has been assisting the men’s families,
He said there has been a “misunderstanding”. Mr Richards added: “Kevin is a humanitarian worker, liaising with the United Nations, Unicef and theworld Food Programme.
“To have people involved in such work with the incredible needs of Afghanistan at the moment, and to
be potentially arbitrarily detained, will make difficult to assure the safety of other aid workers.”
He told Sky News he believed the pair are in good health and being well treated but there has been no “meaningful contact” with the men.
Mr Richards urged the Taliban to show “compassion” and release the men during the holy month of Ramadan.
He added: “At this point in time it would be unwise for anyone to enter into Afghanistan that doesn’t understand the culture, that doesn’t understand these things, because it can change on you very, very quickly.”
The UK withdrew embassy and consular staff in 2021 and the Foreign Office continues to advise citizens against all travel to Afghanistan based on the security risks involved, including the possibility of detention by the Taliban authorities.
Last night, a Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are working hard to secure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting families.”
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