British student, 21, 'on holiday in Kabul' admits he's ready to die

A British student who claims to be stuck in Afghanistan on a “danger holiday” says he has accepted he may die.

Miles Routledge, 21, from Birmingham, says he is in a United Nations safe house in the capital Kabul.

The city was the last to fall as the Taliban regained control of the country, forcing thousands of people to gather at Kabul’s international airport in an attempt to flee.

Routledge told The Times he booked a holiday to Afghanistan after watching tourism videos on YouTube.

Watch: Chaos at Kabul airport as thousands try to flee Afghanistan

When he was unable to secure a refund for his flights after the Taliban insurgency took hold, he decided to travel there anyway.

He has documented his trip online, using streaming platform Twitch and message board 4chan.

In his Twitch videos, Routledge, a physics student at Loughborough University, said: “I genuinely thought I was going to die.

“I should be safe. If I die, I die, but if not, it’s all good.”

He claimed he had been unable to contact the British Embassy in Kabul, saying they hadn’t taken any of his calls or responded to his emails.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are aware of this case and are attempting to reach the individual to offer assistance.

“We are working hard to contact all the British nationals we are aware of who remain in Afghanistan, to help them leave the country.”

Routledge said he had been questioned by the Taliban about where he was from - he told them he was from Wales, adding they did not know where Wales was, so let him go.

He also said he had walked past a convoy of armed Taliban fighters and posed for a selfie on one of their gun emplacements.

The Times said he wrote in a message to friends on social media: “I’ve bitten off more than I can chew and something has not gone to plan resulting in this situation.

“There was no convincing me otherwise and I knew the risks, it was a gamble I took that went wrong despite my confidence and jokes.”

In an online video, he said: “I was fully prepared for death, I accepted it.

“This trip has been a test of God. I'm very religious so I believe I'll be looked after.”

In a Facebook post on Monday, Routledge wrote: “Despite how interesting my situation is, please remember I’m comfortable whereas the average Afghan is fearing for their lives.

“I’ve heard about some kind people gathering money for my trip but please put it to better use and donate to some charities in the area.”

He added: “I’m all safe in this safe house, the people are great. We may be happy I’m fine but please consider the people who live in Afghanistan as they’re doing so much worse.”

The UK is trying to evacuate about 4,000 Britons and their allies from Afghanistan, but defence secretary Ben Wallace admitted on Monday that "some people won't get back".

Watch: 'Some people won't get back' from Afghanistan, admits defence minister