Three Britons are detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, announced Saturday, April 1, a British NGO, The Presidium Network, adding "working closely" with two of the families.

"We are working to establish consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we support the families," the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

Scott Richards, a member of The Presidium Network, told Sky News: "To our knowledge, we believe they are healthy and well treated."

"We have no reason to believe that they have been subjected to ill-treatment such as torture and we are told that they are doing as well as one would hope in such circumstances," he said.

There has been "no significant contact" between authorities and the two men Presidium is attending, Richards said.

Two of the men have reportedly been held by the Taliban since January. It is not known how long the third man has been detained.

Presidium Network has been working closely with 2 of the families concerning their detention by the GDI and in support of finding a resolution and release for the detainees.https://t.co/X8SL817mr5

— Presidium Network (@PresidiumNet) April 1, 2023

'A misunderstanding'

They are believed to be Kevin Cornwell, 53, a doctor for a charity, an unnamed hotel manager for aid workers and YouTube celebrity Miles Routledge, according to news reports.

On Twitter, The Presidium Network urged the Taliban to be "alert to what we believe to be a misunderstanding and release these men."

Last year, the Taliban released renowned television journalist Peter Jouvenal and four other British nationals they had been holding for six months. The cameraman was among a "number" of Britons detained by radical Islamists, London said in February.

The British Foreign Office claimed that the five individuals "had no role to play in the British government's activities in Afghanistan and that they had travelled to Afghanistan despite travel advice from the British government." "It was a mistake," he added.

At the time, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused the British of "carrying out activities contrary to the laws of the country and the traditions of the Afghan people".

"After several meetings between the EIA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and Britain, these people were released... and handed over to their country of origin," he said. "They promised to respect the laws of Afghanistan, its traditions and the culture of its people and not to violate them again."

The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and have since sparked international outrage for their policies, particularly towards women and girls.

With AFP

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