Wife of British charity medic Kevin Cornwell detained by Taliban makes appeal to see him 'one last time'

Kevin Cornwell, 53 has been held by the Taliban’s intelligence agency since January 11 when he was arrested at his hotel in the Afghanistan capital Kabul.

Now, his wife, Kelly Cornwell says she plans to travel to Kabul to see her husband 'perhaps one last time' amid growing fears for his health.

The couple, who have been married for 22 years, live on the Fylde Coast and have seven children and 17 grandchildren.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday

Published in The Mail on Sunday over the weekend, Kelly Cornwell, 48, told the paper her husband is at serious risk of dying from a kidney condition that has gone untreated since he was arrested four months ago.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Kelly said: “We're at the point of distress, where I am considering that I myself may have to travel to Kabul to try to see my husband perhaps one last time because he could very well die in Taliban custody.”

The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Afghanistan, but Kelly says she was willing to make the trip to make a direct plea to his captors.

Kelly added: “We've known since the first day of Kevin's detention that his health would present a risk to his life.

“For us to come out and make a personal appeal for Kevin's release on humanitarian grounds meant we had to put into words things that we feared – we've had to face the possibility that my husband Kevin could die in Kabul.

“We haven't had any direct contact with Kevin since our last call. No medical information has come out of Kabul that we can verify.

“The simple fact is he was in Afghanistan to help ordinary Afghan people, especially children, with medical support. And in return, he's locked up for almost six months without charge.”

Speaking on GMB

This morning (Tuesday, May 23), Kelly appeared on Good Morning Britian (GMB) where she repeated her plea to travel to Afghanistan.

During the interview, Kelly said she had last seen her husband on November 7, and he was due back on February 12, expecting to have surgery for a kidney condition that month.

Kelly told the GMB presenters: “The last time I spoke to Kevin, he said that the GDI had taken him to the hospital, and he’d had a scan and he had two kidney stones in his right kidney but one of them was travelling down his urethra into his bladder. Now the surgery would have fragmented those stones. But because he's not had it, those stones are quite big.”

When asked if her journey to Afghanisation was to ensure Kevin’s release or to see him one last time, Kelly said: “It's more the latter. I've got no control over this situation, I will never have any control over this situation. I have come to terms with the possibilities of what could happen, and if it's just one last time to see him...”

Kelly also confirmed that his gun had been signed for by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior, and added that Kevin had thought he was safe in the country due to his UN badge.

The family had also spoken to the Gazette about their heatbreak last month.

Kevin’s detainment

Kevin, originally from Middlesbrough, was working in Afghanistan for Iqarus, a non-profit medical agency that works on United Nations missions to provide free healthcare to people in conflict zones.

The Taliban's secret police arrested Kevin and an unnamed British hotel manager in a raid on a hotel for western aid workers in January.

The pair have been accused of working as spies after a handgun was found in Kevin's room, despite his family saying he had a licence for it from the Taliban regime.

Since being captured, the Taliban has allowed Kevin to make three phone calls home – the last being more than a month ago when he said he was in pain with kidney issues.

Scott Richards, of the British non-profit organisation Presidium Network, which works in conflict zones worldwide, is helping the Cornwell family negotiate his release, but says conflicts within the Taliban leadership could be complicating attempts to secure his return.

Also being held in a separate facility is 'danger tourist' Miles Routledge, 24, from Birmingham.

The Foreign Office

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We have spoken to the three British nationals detained in Afghanistan and are supporting families. We continue to raise their cases with the Taliban.'