Taliban Detain 3 UK Citizens In Afghanistan - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2023) Three UK citizens are being held in custody by the Taliban movement (under UN sanctions for terrorism) in Afghanistan, and London is actively working to ensure their safety, UK media reported on Sunday.

Kevin Cornwell, 53, and another unnamed UK citizen were detained in January, the Sky news broadcaster reported. Cornwell is accused of illegal possession of weapons, however, his family said he had a license, according to the report.

"If there are risks to people's safety, if they're a British citizen abroad, then the UK government is going to do whatever it takes to ensure that they're safe," Interior Minister Suella Braverman told Sky News.

The third UK national, 23-year Miles Routledge, a self-styled "danger tourist," was taken into custody together with two Polish citizens on March 2, the Telegraph newspaper said, citing a senior European diplomatic source.

Routledge already visited Afghanistan in 2021, during the Taliban's offensive on Kabul, according to the newspaper. Back then, he managed to escape the country on UK military transport that was evacuating people fleeing the Taliban, the report added.

The UK government maintains the policy of not negotiating with terrorists, however, the Taliban are not recognized as a terrorist group in the country, which makes contacts between London and Kabul possible, UK media said,