British men being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been in contact with their families, a spokesperson said on Sunday.
Charity medic Kevin Cornwell and a second unnamed man were detained by the Taliban’s intelligence agency, the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), on 11 January. The two men are being assisted by non-profit organisation the Presidium Network.
The third man is Miles Routledge, the British holidaymaker who received widespread criticism on social media in August 2021 after he travelled to Afghanistan in spite of the Taliban takeover.
It is not clear for how long Mr Routledge has been held by the Taliban.
Scott Richards, from Presidium Network, told Sky News: “We’re very pleased to announce that there has been contact between families and the detainees.
“They were able to spend about 10 minutes this morning in an unscripted conversation, which is very important. This is a huge landmark movement for any negotiation with the Taliban, as we haven’t seen any detainees have this privilege before.
“We’re certainly taking this as a goodwill gesture, and an incredibly important step.”
All three men are being held in a GDI facility for foreigners.
Earlier on Sunday, home secretary Suella Braverman said the government was “in negotiations” over the safety of the three British men.
Speaking on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme on Sky News, Ms Braverman said: “Anyone travelling to dangerous parts of the world should take the utmost caution. If they are going to do that, they should always act on the advice of the Foreign Office.
“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. And the government is in negotiations and working hard to ensure people’s safety is upheld.”
Pressed on whether negotiations are currently taking place, Ms Braverman replied: “If there are problems, and if there are safety concerns to British individuals abroad, then the FCDO will be working actively to ensure people are safe.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “We are working hard to secure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting families.”
The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Afghanistan based on the security risks, which include detention.
Additional reporting by PA
