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Miles Routledge

Miles Arthur Le-Vesconte Routledge (born 14 September 1999), more commonly known by the nickname Lord Miles, is an English author, explorer, YouTuber, Internet celebrity and a war tourist. He is known for being a danger tourist in Afghanistan during the Fall of Kabul, and being detained by Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence on a third visit to Afghanistan from 2 March 2023 until October 2023.

Early life and education

Routledge, an only child, was born on 14 September 1999 at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and raised in nearby Falcon Lodge, Birmingham. His father was a sperm donor, and Routledge was the product of in vitro fertilisation.

He attended the Hollyfield School, and completed his sixth form at Plantsbrook School in 2018. From 2014 to 2018, while attending school, Routledge worked part time as a hairdresser. After graduation, he went on to study physics for his first year at Loughborough University. During his second year, Routledge pursued a degree in banking and finance, and established the university's Loughborough Investment Banking Society. Due to the university's concerns about publishing a book of his experience in Afghanistan, as well being asked to pay a fine and undergo diversity training for alleged antisemitic views, he left the university and course. In 2021, he began an online course offered by the Harvard Business School. He was formerly homeless in Birmingham for a few months.

Expeditions

In 2019, following the Christmas exams of his first term at Loughborough University, Routledge was invited to spend his winter vacation exploring Chernobyl alongside a friend.

Fall of Kabul

Routledge reportedly in 2021 decided to Google, "most dangerous countries to visit." These factors made him want to visit Afghanistan, the country that was being taken over by the Taliban during their 2021 Taliban offensive. In March 2021, he began planning a trip to Afghanistan, saying "I wanted to see what life was like here, and how it was different [...] it's always been on the news since 2001." He also hoped to perform some acts of charity, and see historical Christian sites. The cost of the visa and flight was around £1,000. A self-described extremely online traveler who referred to himself as "based", his preparations included a GPS-enabled SOS button, regular updates to online friends on his whereabouts, and a dead man's switch scheduled to automatically post a message on his Facebook page if he failed to return. Routledge spent £15 on a joke purchase which gave him the right to use the title "Lord," which he claimed would ensure his safety.

On 13 August 2021, Routledge arrived in Kabul from Turkey, with a return flight scheduled for 19 August. While the ongoing Taliban offensive was at the time not expected to reach the city for months, the FCDO advised against all travel to the whole country, and urged British nationals in Afghanistan to leave immediately. Routledge said in an August 14 4chan post that "the intelligence agencies show that the capital may be taken over in 30 days; however not in a few days [...] Also if I get proven wrong and die, edit a laughing soundtrack over my posts. It'll be funny I think." On 14 August, Routledge and his Afghan tour guide set out to do a "charity day", taking about $30 to purchase food for local children and dogs; numerous chaotic events soon occurred, including a bank run and people firing automatic weapons in the air. With the help of the guide, Routledge attempted to travel to the British embassy disguised as a woman in a burqa. Upon arriving at the embassy, and finding it deserted, they headed for the airport.

The city was taken by Taliban forces on 15 August, and Routledge described himself as being "stuck in a pickle"; Routledge's posting about the experience on 4chan, Facebook and Twitch gained wide currency. He became known by the nickname "Lord Miles" after posting about a £15 lordship certificate he had earlier obtained online, which he had used to get the title "Lord" on a credit card (despite not being a member of British nobility) after he "talked a good game" at a bank. Routledge said that he believed the Taliban might see the honorific and believe he was "valuable enough to negotiate an exchange". Fellow 4chan posters began to research Taliban activity in the area and provide him with updates on their progress; Routledge said that "even though 4chan's obviously a toxic place and there are terrible things on there, the people who did reply did give good information and did save my life several times over".

In an interview with The Times, he said that he had "accepted death", explaining that "there was no convincing me otherwise and I knew the risks". While some people had started raising money to help him escape the country, Routledge suggested instead that they give to charity; on Facebook, he asked followers to focus their concern on others at risk from the events, including the tour guide who led him to safety (saying that "his only crime is going the extra mile and saving my life, I can never repay him and that saddens me").

By 15 August, Routledge said that the British embassy in Kabul had not responded to his calls or emails, and that he was "fully prepared for death", saying that "this trip has been a test of God. I'm very religious so I believe I'll be looked after"; he later found refuge in a safehouse (to which his guide had been denied entry since he was not from a NATO country). On 16 August a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said that it was "aware of this case and [was] attempting to reach the individual to offer assistance"; the same day, Routledge said that he expected to leave in an "emergency evacuation". He told Input magazine that he was "hearing a lot of gunfire and helicopters towards the direction of the airport", and that "it may be two weeks until I'm out".

On 17 August, he was evacuated to Dubai on a British Army plane and had to quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic on return to England.

Later trips

He decided to return to the now Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in April 2022. To prepare for his second trip, he emptied out his room and placed all of his belongings in storage. In case the trip went poorly, he gave his roommate keys to access it. He left for Afghanistan on 21 April; to get there he had to travel through various countries so he would not be detained.

While on his trip to Afghanistan in May 2022, Routledge was interviewed by the Afghan television news station Barya TV. On November 15, 2021, it was announced he had signed a book deal with Antelope Hill to publish his account of the fall of Afghanistan. On 30 November 2022, Miles' book became available for pre-order. The book was published 2 December 2022.

Routledge has also visited the nations of Kazakhstan, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Ukraine, and Brazil. Throughout all these visits, he was falsely imprisoned by Kenyan police, crossed into Kazakhstan by means of illegal immigration, was in Ukraine shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has visited the closed to the public Ilha da Queimada Grande, commonly known as Snake Island. He has also stated his intentions to visit North Sentinel Island, an island with one of the last remaining isolated Indigenous peoples that is hostile to foreigners, and for this reason is made illegal by the Indian Government to enter.

Imprisonment

Routledge departed for a third vacation to Afghanistan in late February 2023, and was apprehended by the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence on 2 March 2023. The GDI also apprehended volunteer medic Kevin Cornwell and an unidentified hotel manager, both being British citizens. Routledge was released from Taliban custody in October 2023.Miles described his time of imprisonment as a "holiday" and "living the lap of luxury", saying he was kept in a luxurious guest house, with several Taliban servants, and that he has been treated well during his time there, even being able to buy an Xbox, and being well fed with foods like pizza and kebabs. He recently went back to Afghanistan to visit his friends in the GDI and plans to open businesses such a gold mine there.