The mother of a 23-year-old being detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban says she is “distraught” and “desperate to know that he is safe”.
Youtuber Miles Routledge, who documents his travels to dangerous places online, is one of three British men being held by the Taliban.
Charity medic and married dad Kevin Cornwell, 53, from Middlesbrough, and another unnamed man who manages a hotel for aid workers in Kabul have been detained since January.
Mr Cornwell and the unnamed man have been allowed to make phone calls to their relatives.
Mr Routledge was reportedly detained by the Taliban on March 2, but his mother, Susan Routledge, says she has not been allowed to speak to him.
“I’m distraught. It is so worrying. I just want help to find out what has happened to him and make sure he is OK,” Mrs Routledge told the Daily Mail.
“If I can get a message to those who are holding him, I just want to ask them to tell him he has my love and support,” she added.
“I am just desperate to know that he is safe. I don’t know who is holding him or where he is’”
Scott Richards, an experienced negotiator with conflict zone charity Presidium Network, has been assisting the men’s families.
He said Mr Cornwell and the unnamed Briton spent 10 minutes in conversation with their families on Sunday morning.
He 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 landmark move and for any negotiation with the Taliban, because we haven’t seen any of this privilege before.
“They’ve certainly taking this as a goodwill gesture and an incredibly important step.”
Mr Routledge, a former Loughborough University physics student, had recently posted videos of him firing assault weapons with members of the Taliban.
Married father Mr Cornwell, from Middlesbrough, had been in Afghanistan for 11 months working as a medic for Iqarus International, which provides free healthcare to local people.
He was arrested in a raid at his hotel by officers from the General Directorate of Intelligence on January 11.
Mr Cornwell stands accused of having an illegal firearm in the safe in his room at the Darya Village Hotel, despite having a permit from the Taliban government.
The manager of the resort - popular with Western humanitarian staff - was also detained in the raid and both are being held in a secure unit for foreign nationals run by the GDI.
No charges have been brought and they have not been granted legal representation.
The UK withdrew embassy and consular staff in 2021 and the Foreign Office continues to advise citizens against all travel to Afghanistan based on the security risks involved, including the possibility of detention by the Taliban authorities.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are working hard to secure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting families.”
