Liverpool man trapped in Afghanistan pleads for help - BBC News

A British citizen who is stranded in Afghanistan after travelling to the country to help his family flee is pleading with the government for help.

The taxi driver, who the BBC is calling Ahmed to protect his identity, flew from Liverpool as the Taliban seized control of the country.

He is currently in hiding with his wife and children after fleeing from the Afghan capital Kabul.

Ahmed told BBC North West Tonight that people "are desperate to leave".

He said: "At the moment our only hopes are that the government can do something to get us out from here.

"We can't get out of the house. We basically can only go 20 or 30 yards into a local shop."

Ahmed, 30, added: "We are in trouble. We need to go."

US forces withdrew from Afghanistan on Monday, ending their 20-year presence, while British troops also left over the weekend.

More than 15,000 people, including about 2,200 children, have been evacuated by the UK since 15 August.

About 800 to 1,100 eligible Afghans, including those who worked for the UK government, and 100 to 150 British nationals, were feared to be unable to make evacuation flights.

Ahmed, who has British citizenship while his wife and children are Afghan citizens and live there, travelled to the country two weeks ago to try to rescue them.

He now fears for the safety of his family, describing the journey to his current location as "dangerous".

"I can't even trust anybody for a minute. It's that scary around here," he added.

Ahmed has been in daily contact with his friend Andrew Sharkey, who said people in the UK "are worried for him... he is obviously a target".

"I think if he was found out there, as a British passport holder, it would put his life in danger.

"We are trying to do everything we can to help him," he said.

In a statement the Foreign Office said: "We will continue to do all we can to deliver on our obligation to get British nationals and eligible Afghans out of the country while the security situation allows."