Scottish YouTuber claims he's in Afghanistan to show 'reality' of life under Taliban
Callum Mills - or Callum Abroad on social media - says he wants to challenge stereotypical views about ordinary men and women living in the Asian country
A Scottish man in Afghanistan is telling Kerrang! Radio that he wants to challenge stereotypical views about ordinary men and women living there.
Callum Mills - or Callum Abroad on social media - has gained tens of thousands of followers and posts videos of him exploring war-torn countries and speaking to members of the Taliban.
The 30-year-old from Coatbridge arrived in Afghanistan 11 days ago and regularly posts videos and blogs of his experiences to try to break down barriers about what it's like to live there.
Callum's videos show him speaking with members of the Taliban, driving across the Silk Road and visiting a secret school for girls and women.
'We only see negative stuff on the news'
In a broadcast exclusive, Callum told us that he is willing to put himself in danger to show people a part of the world they might never get to see.
He said: "I started travelling a few months into the pandemic when everyone was told to stay at home - I decided to pack a bag and travel the world.
"I often get messages from friends and family who say 'you're crazy, I can't believe you're in these places.'
"But we only see the negative stuff on the news, we never see the positive stuff and so people see these countries and they think they're dangerous automatically.
"When you get there, you realise the majority of people in these countries are good and hardworking people, just like in Scotland."
'I don't think about what could go wrong'
Callum refutes that what he is doing is dangerous: "Nothing is guaranteed in life, there are dangers staying at home in Scotland so I don't like to look at it like that.
"I don't think about what could go wrong, I'm more excited about the people that I'm going to meet and the opportunities I'll get in these countries.
"When I set out on my travels and I made the YouTube channel, I didn't expect things to go the way they did.
"I've got almost sixty thousand subscribers, millions of views which wasn't my initial plan.
"I do now get a lot of messages from people around the world, thanking me for the videos and for showing people what it's really like.
"I don't worry about any consequences coming back to Scotland because I hope they'll watch the videos and they'll see I'm simply walking around, speaking to people and getting a feel for the countries."
Experience with the Taliban
Callum explained that to acquire a visa for Afghanistan, you must make contact with the Taliban and recounted his first meeting with the group.
He said: "I had two gentlemen come towards me, one with a white and one with a red headband on, which I asked about.
"They explained that the men with the red headbands on would be up for suicide missions and would dedicate their lives if it came to it, and that was surreal as the first conversation I had in Afghanistan.
"When you enter, you see all the white flags and it can be a little bit intimidating but they told me I was welcome, no one would cause me any harm and the Taliban were there to protect me, so it seems different than it was ten years ago.
"In terms of aligning myself and spending time with the Taliban considering their treatment of women, I recently went to a secret school in a forest teaching young girls and housewives.
"As we know, education is banned for women which isn't nice, I don't agree with it, but I'm in their country and I have to respect their rules.
"I spoke with the women and I told them that many people around the world stand in solidarity with them and we do believe that equality for women in Afghanistan is paramount for the country to progress.
"So it was nice to speak to them and let them know how I and people around the world feel, as these people can be quite cut off and don't realise how many stand in solidarity with them."
The Foreign Office was approached for comment, but a spokesperson highlighted the travel advice not to go to Afghanistan and said there was nothing further to add.