21-year-old British student who went to Afghanistan for ‘vacation', evacuated from Kabul

After flying to Afghanistan for a vacation last Friday, a 21-year-old student from the United Kingdom got stuck in Kabul amid the Taliban takeover. Miles Routledge, a physics student from Loughborough University, is said to have flown to Afghanistan from Turkey on Friday, August 13th.

UK Foreign Office warned Miles Routledge against visiting the nation

Despite the UK Foreign Office's warning against going to the nation, he arranged the trip. Routledge learned he couldn't receive a refund for his trip this month, so he chose to board the plane as scheduled, hoping to evacuate before the Taliban controlled Kabul. The ensuing Taliban attack, however, moved faster than expected, with Kabul falling to the rebel organisation on August 15th.

Routledge was unable to fly out of the city after that, describing his situation as "a bit of a pickle" on Facebook. Routledge wrote on social media, that he was well aware of the consequences and it was a chance he took that backfired despite his confidence. He said that he was thinking about what would be the most exciting country he could visit that isn't "boring," in the sense that there is some thrill, he added that he had no desire to see London or even Spain. Routledge later remarked on the video that he had "no regrets" about his trip and that he would do it all over again. 

Routledge was evacuated to Dubai

Routledge was in a UN safe house in Kabul with 50 other foreign citizens on August 15. The complex, he added, is manned by Turkish and British soldiers. He reportedly attempted to contact the British embassy and government officials for assistance but was unable to reach anyone over the weekend. However, he posted an update on Tuesday, stating that he had been transported to Dubai. 

This isn't the first time that Routledge has been to a perilous location. In 2019, he went to Chernobyl and boasted on social media about bribing a security guard to let him keep a stolen gas mask. He claims he then sold the item for more than the cost of his trip on the internet. Though the 21-year-old's journey has gotten a lot of attention online, he also got a lot of backlash with some calling him a "disaster tourist."

Image- @mblfrettir/Twitter