Afghanistan: Three Britons are being held by the Taliban Three Britons are being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the British non-governmental organization The Presidium Network said on Saturday evening, adding that they are “working closely” with the two families, AFP notes.

“We are making efforts to establish consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are providing support to the families,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

Scott Richards, of The Presidium Network, told Sky News: “As far as we know, they are all healthy and well looked after.”

“We have no reason to believe that they have been subjected to ill-treatment such as torture and we have been told that they are doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” he said.

Richards added that there had been “no significant contact” between the authorities and the two people the Presidium was helping.

The two men have been detained by the Taliban since January. It is not known how long the third man was detained.

According to media reports, they will be Kevin Cornwell, 53, a doctor for the charity, an unnamed hotel manager for aid workers and Miles Rutledge, a YouTube celebrity.

On Twitter, The Presidium Network called on the Taliban to “address what we believe is a misunderstanding and release these people.”

Last year, the Taliban freed the well-known TV journalist Peter Juvenal and four other British citizens they had held for six months.

London said in February that the journalist was “one of the few” Britons being held by radical Islamists.

The British Foreign Office said the five “played no role in the British government’s activities in Afghanistan and that they traveled to that country despite the British government’s travel warning”.

“It was a mistake,” added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At that time, the spokesman of the Afghan government, Zabihullah Mujahid, accused the British of “carrying out activities that are 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 Great Britain, these people were released (…) and handed over to their country of origin,” he said. “They promised to respect the laws of Afghanistan, the traditions and culture of its people and not to violate them again.”

The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and have since drawn international outrage over the policies they promote, particularly towards women and girls.