A brother of an aid worker from Britain who is missing in Afghanistan has appealed to the Taliban for his release.
Grant Bailey (55), a Portland, Dorset man, was working as a volunteer for an NGO and would be leaving the country within hours of his capture.
Robin Bailey (53), said that the father of four is becoming more and more concerned for his safety.
British worker Grant Bailey (pictured) is missing in Afghanistan after he was reportedly seized by the Taliban and held at gunpoint
He has not been seen since Saturday when he was arrested by the Islamists during a security crackdown in Kabul (file image)
According to him, it was the most shocking thing he had ever seen. I’ve been trying to find out as much as I can to try to help get him back. His entire family is desperate for him to get well.
‘His wife must be in pieces and our dad is absolutely flattened — he doesn’t know what to do.
“He’s 75, and not well. I’m trying to keep him calm. I’m scared it’s too late. Grant could be dead. Grant may be dead.
The married Mr Bailey is from south England. He had previously worked for several years in Afghanistan and was able to return in September following the fall of the Taliban.
With increasing safety concerns, the Foreign Office desperately tries to locate him.
According to a UK security source, Mr Bailey was taken into custody at gunpoint by police on Saturday.
The men said that they were surprised that he returned to Kabul following the Western withdrawal, as security conditions there are clearly much worse.
“Additionally, the Taliban government makes it extremely difficult for the ex-pats who work there making travel very difficult.
“Many people want to know the truth about what happened, why he was held there and what his charges are.”
MailOnline was informed by the Foreign Office that they were aware of the arrest of a British citizen in Afghanistan. They also said that they had been in contact with their families to offer support.
The married Mr. Bailey is from south England. He had lived in Afghanistan for several years, and returned home in September when the Taliban (pictured below) took power.
It comes after a dozen Afghan intelligence officers who spied for British troops say they have been left to the mercy of the Taliban despite being promised safe passage to the UK.
One woman and 11 men worked together for the National Directorate of Security of the country (NDS), which was disbanded in August by Taliban forces after the Taliban seized Kabul.
They’re among the many Afghans and Britons that remain to be evacuated in this war-torn nation.
Afghan intelligence agents who spy for Britain have claimed that they are at the mercy the Taliban even though being promised safe passage into the UK. One woman and 11 men were part of Afghanistan’s disbanded National Directorate of Security, which provided surveillance to UK forces. (Above, file image of Afghan security forces escorting suspected Taliban fighters)
Other reports claim that RAF planes invading desperate Afghans have returned to the UK empty-handed. (File photo)
NDS officers performed surveillance for British forces, including missions to MI5 to steal MI6 and to infiltrate Taliban or Al-Qaeda groups. Their primary function was to uncover terrorist plots against Afghanistan.
These operatives are hiding with their families. Their ranks span from colonel up to major general. British troops awarded one officer an “Eagle” award for his bravery on secret missions.
According to human rights organizations, more than 100 NDS officers were executed by Taliban in August.
Susan Mateen from the Afghan Council of Great Britain(ACGB), which campaigned to get them there, stated that the attack on Kabul’s airport in August had stopped the NDS officers being evacuated. The NDS officers were told by the ACGB that they will need to travel into Pakistan in order to be rescued.
“These twelve individuals were loyally serving Britain and British counter-terrorism missions with many of them having served 10 years or longer, which kept British troops safe, and stopped terrorist attacks to our shores,” said Ms Mateen. “The British government must save them. However, the UK has left them to the Taliban.
This month, it was discovered that Taliban had publicly displayed the bodies of dozens of victims in extrajudicial killings and have been known to hang or behead them.
UN reports that the militant group also recruits child soldiers and has been suppressing women’s rights in Afghanistan since August, when it was seized power.
The UN Human Rights Council reported that more than 100 Afghan security personnel and other former members have been murdered since the takingover.
Nada Al-Nashif (UN Deputy High Commissioner For Human Rights) stated that at least 50 members of Islamic State-Khorasan Province, an ideological foe to the Taliban, were also killed through hanging and beheading.
According to the UN Human Rights Council, more than 100 Afghan National Security Forces and others were killed in the aftermath of the coup.
Al-Nashif stated that she is deeply disturbed by reports of these killings, even though a general amnesty was announced by the Taliban rulers following August 15.
Eight Afghan activists have died and two journalists were injured in the attacks on August. Meanwhile, UN officials reported that 59 other unlawful detentions had been made and threatened their ranks.
Although several countries are willing to provide aid for the country (which accounted for a significant portion of its economy prior to the Taliban’s overthrow), many others hesitate to do so unless the Taliban accepts to create a more inclusive society.
Meanwhile, reports from Afghanistan have told harrowing stories, such as parents being forced to sell their children to survive, and droughts forcing people from their homes.
UN warned Afghanistan that over half the population will starve in winter. The problem was made worse by the fact many of its aid agencies having fled Afghanistan as government collapsed.
Save the Children, an international charity, has asked governments to immediately exempt existing anti-terrorism and sanctions policies to enable humanitarian assistance to be delivered.