Gandhara
A British national has been detained in Afghanistan, the British Foreign Ministry said on December 24, following a report of the arrest of a security consultant by the Taliban.
The Daily Mirror reported late on December 23 that Grant Bailey, a British security consultant working for an NGO, had been arrested during a Taliban security clampdown in Kabul.
The Foreign Ministry didn’t confirm his identity, but a spokesperson said: “We are aware of the detention of a British national in Afghanistan and have been in touch with their family to support them.”
The Mirror quoted a British security source as saying that Bailey was last heard on December 18 after being arrested at gunpoint.
According to the British publication, Bailey who is in his 50s, had worked in Afghanistan for several years. Bailey is believed to have returned to Kabul in September, shortly after the Taliban took over.
The Mirror quoted the source as saying: “We were quite surprised he went back to Kabul after the Western withdrawal as the security situation there is obviously much worse.”
There was no immediate comment from the Taliban.
