Afghanistan- Taliban holding three British men in detention, Kevin Cornwell, 53, Miles Routledge, 23 & Unnamed hotel manager, January 2023

[dotr]

Taliban holding three British men in detention in Afghanistan

Charity medic, hotelier and ‘danger tourist’ reportedly arrested by Taliban’s secret police in January

www.theguardian.com

''Three British men including a charity medic and a self-styled “danger tourist” are being held in custody by the Taliban in Afghanistan, it has been reported.

The Mail on Sunday said Kevin Cornwell, a 53-year-old charity medic, and another British national who manages a hotel for aid workers in Kabul, who has not been named, were detained by the Taliban’s secret police in January.
The other Briton being held is Miles Routledge, 23, who returned to the country after being evacuated by British armed forces less than two years ago during the Kabul airlift, after he travelled there for a “holiday” and was caught up in the chaos of the Taliban takeover.''

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-04-01/three-british-men-held-by-taliban-in-afghanistan

''Mr Cornwell and the other unnamed Brit were arrested at a hotel in Kabul when Afghan intelligence officers found a gun in Mr Cornwell's hotel room safe on January 11.

The Presidium Network said the pair have been held without charge since they were arrested.

Afghan officers accused Mr Cornwell - who works for a charity providing free local healthcare and liaises with the likes of the United Nations and Unicef - of having an unlicensed gun. The Presidium Network said the firearm was licensed and that the arrests were part of a misunderstanding.''

It is not known how long Mr Routledge, a controversial YouTuber who travelled to Afghanistan on holiday days before the Taliban took over in 2021, has been held for.

Mr Routledge is a YouTuber who posts videos of his trips to 'dangerous' locations.Credit: PA
Presidium Network said it is not in touch with or acting for Mr Routledge, who was airlifted out of Afghanistan in 2021 by the British military during the fall of Kabul.

According to his social media channels, he appears to have made a number of visits since to Afghanistan.

An account claiming to belong to the Taliban’s public relations department had been tweeting about Mr Routledge throughout March, calling him a "beloved brother" and denying rumours that he’d been arrested.

However, his accounts have been silent since the end of February.''

 

[HayLouise]

BREAKING: A spokesperson for the family of Kevin Cornwell has told Sky News there has been contact between the British men being held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan and their families

Latest: 'Danger tourist' among three Britons held by Taliban - as government 'in negotiations' to ensure their safety

Sky 501

https://twitter.com/x/status/1642517114069168130

 

[HayLouise]

Family of North East dad captured by Taliban plead for his release from basement cell

The family of a North East dad who has spent almost four months locked in a Taliban prison has pleaded for his safe return.

t.co

 

[LadyL]

well ... I'm glad they're alive but I hope they're not being tortured

 

[dotr]

Nov 23 '23 rbbm

Kevin Cornwell: Detained aid worker feared 'he was not going home'

A British aid worker detained for nine months in Afghanistan speaks about his ordeal.

www.bbc.com

'At a glance

• Kevin Cornwell spent nine months detained in Afghanistan
• He had been working for the UN when secret police arrested him after searching his hotel
• The paramedic spoke of attempts to "radicalise" him in his cell
• His wife, who campaigned for her husband's release, has been given a special award at her graduation

A British aid worker who spent nine months being held in Afghanistan has told the BBC that at one point he thought he "wasn't going home".
Kevin Cornwell, originally from Middlesbrough, was released from detention in October after 272 days.''

 

[iulia]

Article from October 2023:

Four British men freed after Afghanistan detention

The UK welcomes their release after they were held for allegedly breaking the country's laws.

www.bbc.com

[...]
The Foreign Office did not provide any detail on the identities of those released, what specifically they were detained for, their whereabouts, or their health.
The Presidium Network, a UK non profit organisation that supports people in crisis, said one of those freed was Mr Cornwell - a paramedic from Middlesbrough who had been working for UNHCR in Kabul when he was detained in January.
The second person it named as being freed - Mr Routledge - is a former Loughborough University student from Birmingham, known for travelling to dangerous countries and posting about it on social media.


I wonder if the unnamed hotel manager is among the other two freed British nationals whose identified were not released.