Three British men being held in Afghanistan: UK non-profit group

Published April 2, 2023
The photo shows Miles Routledge, who has been detained by the Afghan Taliban. — Photo by Presidium Network
The photo shows Miles Routledge, who has been detained by the Afghan Taliban. — Photo by Presidium Network

Three British men have been detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, UK non-profit group the Presidium Network said on Saturday.

The group said on Twitter it had been “working closely with two of the families”.

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

Scott Richards of the Presidium Network told Sky News: “We believe they are in good health and being well treated.

“We have no reason to believe they’ve been subject to any negative treatment such as torture 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.

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.

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

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