Student Miles Routledge stuck in Taliban-controlled Kabul

As foreigners streamed out of Afghanistan in recent days, a cheerful British student flew to the war-torn country to “goof off and enjoy the sun.” With the Taliban looming, timing was not his strong suit.

When Miles Routledge landed in Afghanistan on Friday, he made a 4chan post, joking that the country was “safer than London.” The 22-year-old Loughborough University student posted pictures of the dirt-cheap food on offer and described pleasant interactions with locals — despite saying “bombs” were exploding nearby.

Routledge took a day trip across the country, chatting with soldiers and posing with military equipment. From the capital, Kabul, he was initially unconcerned about the convergence of Taliban forces in the city. Just as U.S. military and intelligence officials believed, he thought, he had “a week or two” before the Islamist militants were at the gates.

That belief was shaken Sunday. As the Taliban stormed Kabul, Routledge described the city's slide into “anarchy”. Upon his arrival, Routledge told his 4chan buddies he expected to “either die a man or go out with giant balls.”

Leaving was not an option. As U.S. military aircraft streamed onto the Kabul airport's only runway one after another, carrying troops to cover the American withdrawal, all commercial flights were suspended. Routledge described his situation as “a bit of a pickle.”

Back in the city, the student was soon confronted with the reality of war. When Routledge reached a United Nations safe house and took a breather, he suffered a nervous breakdown. “I saw too many dead people”, he wrote on Facebook. “I just wanted the whole thing to be a little charity thing where I could explore a strange country, but I mentally broke down.”

In a follow-up post shortly after, however, Routledge said he was “back to normal” and busy calling people who might be able to get him out. “I still don't regret it, but damn I wish I had packed more socks,” he wrote.

Routledge's cheerful demeanor earned him a quick following on 4chan, where anonymous users called him “Lord Miles,” based on a lordship he bought as a prank that gave him a credit card named “Lord ML Routledge.” “If the Taliban kidnap me, the plan is simple,” he wrote. “I am legally a lord (bought a fake certificate, wore a suit to a bank and spoke) … the Taliban may see this as reason enough to keep me alive.”

His Christian faith also keeps Routlege going. Routlege told viewers on the streaming platform Twitch earlier Sunday that he was “fully prepared for death” as he walked through the falling city.

“I accepted it”, he said, “this journey was a test for God. I'm very religious, so I believe I'm being taken care of. Before I left, I wrote a letter to my friends saying that if I died not to feel guilty, I would die happy, religious and proud.”

@MalcolmNance

Does Expedia still offer Kabul, Afghanistan as a vacation destination for British Nationals in case someone wants to go join Miles Le-vesconte Routledge? https://t.co/EbY7ZH6XXN — Joey Putin (Vlads Democratic Brother) (@PuddingVladdy) August 15, 2021