3 British Men Being Held in Afghanistan, UK Nonprofit Group Says

Three British men have been detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Presidium Network, U.K. nonprofit group, said on Saturday.

“We are working hard to secure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting families,” the U.K.’s foreign ministry said in a statement. 

Media reports named the men as charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53, an unnamed manager of a hotel for aid workers and YouTube star Miles Routledge.

Routledge, 21, is described in the British press as a “danger tourist,” someone who travels to dangerous countries and posting about it online.

Scott Richards of the Presidium Network told Sky News: “We believe they are in good health and being well treated … and we’re told that they are as good as can be expected in such circumstances.”

There had been “no meaningful contact” between authorities and the two men Presidium is assisting, he added.

These two men are believed to have been held by the Taliban since January.

It is not known how long the third man has been held for.

Presidium on Twitter urged the Taliban to be “considerate of what we believe is a misunderstanding and release these men.”

Last year the Taliban freed a veteran television cameraman and four other British nationals it had held for six months.

Peter Jouvenal was one of a number of Britons that the British government said had been held by the hard-line Islamists.

Britain’s foreign ministry said the five “had no role in the UK government’s work in Afghanistan and travelled to Afghanistan against the UK government’s travel advice.”

“This was a mistake,” it added.

At the time, Afghanistan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused the Britons of “carrying out activities against the country’s laws and traditions of the people of Afghanistan.”

“After consecutive meetings between the IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and Britain, the said persons were released … and handed over to their home country,” he said.

“They promised to abide by the laws of Afghanistan, its traditions and culture of the people and not to violate them again,” he added.

The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and has since sparked global outrage with its policies in particular toward women and girls.
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