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A British man is missing in Afghanistan after a report he has been detained by the Taliban. Grant Bailey was arrested in the Afghan capital, Kabul, where he has been working as a security consultant.

The arrest came during a Taliban security clampdown, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office could not 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.

Baileys work duties include liaising with the US state department on security-related issues. He was last heard from on Saturday after being arrested at gunpoint, a UK security source told the Mirror.

The Mirror quoted the source saying: We were quite surprised he went back to Kabul after the western withdrawal as the security situation there is obviously much worse.

Added to that, the Taliban government is making it very difficult for the few ex-pats working there, making it very difficult to travel. A lot of people are trying to get to the bottom of what has happened to him, where he is being held, and under what charges.

Bailey is believed to have returned to Kabul in September shortly after the Taliban took over and the US and UK forces withdrew amid chaotic scenes at Kabul airport. His employer has been contacted for comment.

Baileys arrest underlines the continuing risks facing the small number of westerners who continue to work in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghans who were previously employed by UK organisations, including former BBC staff and those who worked for the British Council and UK forces, have been forced into hiding since the Taliban took over.

Earlier this month, Joseph Seaton, the former British Council Afghanistan English manager, said of his former colleagues: These people are living in constant fear of their lives. They were contracted under a British government-funded scheme to teach English teachers British values of diversity, inclusion and equality, the values that the Taliban oppose. They were always told they were employees of the British government.

Since the Talibans takeover, the UN has warned that 23 million Afghans face hunger due to conflict, drought and an economic downturn.

In October, the World Food Programmes executive director, David Beasley, said: Afghanistan is now among the worlds worst humanitarian crises if not the worst and food security has all but collapsed.

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Briton missing in Afghanistan after reports of Taliban arrest - The Guardian