A British student stuck in Afghanistan after embarking on an ill-advised holiday boasted to thousands of followers online of how he had researched the “most dangerous countries in the world”.

       Miles Routledge, a 21-year-old physics undergraduate at Loughborough University, flew into Kabul on Friday as the Taliban prepared to seize control of the capital.

       He chronicled his journey on the online forum 4chan, joking that he would be “goofing off and soaking in the sun”. At first, he appeared to dismiss the security threat posed by the advancing Taliban insurgents.

       “The reason I came is because of the news,” he said in one post.

       Mr Routledge, from Birmingham, claimed to have researched the 10 most dangerous countries in the world when planning the trip earlier this year. He has previously visited Chernobyl, the scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

       By Sunday, it had become clear his five-day trip was set to encounter significant complications as the city fell to the Taliban. By that point he had already garnered a major internet following.

       Mr Routledge posted several live videos from Kabul on Twitch, the video-streaming site, including one in which he told viewers he had narrowly escaped unscathed from an encounter with the Taliban.

       He also posted pictures of himself posing next to weapons at what he claimed was a military checkpoint.

       “I kind of just thought, I’m going to be killed by the Taliban, fair enough,” he said.

       An acquaintance of Mr Routledge from university, who asked not to be named, described him as a “massive attention-seeker” who had gained notoriety on campus for an anonymous confession page he founded on Facebook.

       They told The Telegraph: “I don’t think he ever expected this much attention, more like something that he could tell friends about down the line and post a couple of pics.”

       The acquaintance recalled hearing Mr Routledge first mention his travel plans in March before he bought his tickets in May.

       “I think he genuinely just got incredibly unlucky with the date of the flight he booked,” they added.

       'In a bit of a pickle'

       Mr Routledge posted other updates on his Facebook page where he spoke more candidly about the “anarchy” unfolding in Kabul and the psychological toll it had taken on him. He said he was in a “bit of a pickle” after flights were cancelled.

       He also claimed his tour guide was “fearing for his family”, adding: “His only crime is going the extra mile and saving my life.”

       On Monday, Mr Routledge indicated he would be part of an “emergency evacuation” after apparently finding refuge with Western forces.

       A since-deleted picture showed him posing in a flak jacket with a British flag on it, while holding a rifle.

       Mr Routledge and the Foreign Office were contacted for comment.