British student who went on Kabul holiday 'lands in Dubai' after Afghan evacuation

Miles Routledge Afghanistan 'danger holiday'
Miles Routledge said he'd 'landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people in the British Army'. (Miles Routledge/Facebook)

A British student who claimed to have been stuck in Afghanistan on a "danger holiday" says he has been evacuated.

Miles Routledge, 21, from Birmingham, said in a series of Facebook posts on Tuesday that he was being transported out of the country, which has been effectively conquered by the Taliban in recent days.

He said he was on a flight scheduled to fly to Dubai and posted a picture of what appeared to be the inside of an aircraft.

Later on Tuesday, Routledge posted a video and declared he had a 'happy ending' as he'd 'landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British army.'

(Twitch)
Miles Routledge in what he said was a UN safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Twitch) (Twitch)

Watch: Britons evacuated from Afghanistan arrive in UK

Routledge had said previously that he was staying at a United Nations safe house in Kabul.

There were chaotic scenes at the city's international airport on Monday as thousands of people gathered in a desperate attempt to flee the country.

In less than two weeks the Taliban were able to conquer almost all of Afghanistan after the US pulled out of the country and the government's military all but collapsed.

Routledge wrote on Tuesday: “Got evacuated at 4ish with 100 or so other civilians.

"The Taliban let us go through the airport and we met many of them. Some took selfies with them.

"I slept on a dirt/gravel road and woke up as cars went by. We’re in a new safe house and we’re all hydrated, happy and ready for a few hours of sleep.”

Routledge said he had booked his trip to Afghanistan after watching tourism videos on YouTube.

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

He documented his trip online, using streaming platform Twitch and controversial right-wing message board 4chan.

He admitted he was ready to die after the Taliban's lightning offensive capture Kabul in a matter of days.

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."

On Monday, 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 claimed 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.

(Facebook)
Miles Routledge said he travelled to Afghanistan for a holiday. (Facebook) (Facebook)

He reportedly told 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."

Despite the chaos at Kabul's airport, US president Joe Biden was defiant in an TV address on Monday.

He said he stood "squarely behind" his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.

Watch: Biden says he stands by decision to withdraw US troops

Advertisement