Defence Minister Johnny Mercer opens up about the trauma of watching his friend die as he cradled his body ‘like a baby’ after he was gunned down by the Taliban on patrol in Afghanistan Speaking on the Crisis What Crisis? podcast he opened up about trauma of war He says how he saw a good … Read more
A former Manchester City footballer who grew up in Afghanistan has recalled the harrowing night she fled the Taliban aged 10 – after the terrorists executed her father. Nadia Nadim, 32, told how she, her mother and four sisters left Kabul on trucks and made the long journey to Europe, where they eventually settled in … Read more
A documentary-maker has revealed she was trafficked out of war-torn Afghanistan as a child – but only found out by accident when she interviewed her mother for a new podcast. Nelufar Hedayat, 32, began her journey from Kabul in the late eighties, eventually arriving in London in 1994, after spending time in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan … Read more
MEMOIR THE BOY WITH TWO HEARTS by Hamed Amiri (Icon £16.99, 288pp) In 2001, when Hamed Amiri was ten years old, his mother made a speech declaring that women ‘have the same rights as men’. In Taliban-ruled Herat, Afghanistan, this was a radical statement, and a dangerous one: that night, the Mullah called for her … Read more
Three Afghan refugees who claim to have been locked in UK immigration removal centre ‘cells’ for 11 hours every night are suing the Home Office. The men believe they were detained in ‘unlawful’ conditions during their time at Brooke House IRC, West Sussex, which was then run by private security firm G4S. A ‘lock-in regime’, … Read more
A British soldier who lost his leg after stepping on an explosive during his second tour of Afghanistan, and feared the incident left him infertile, has recently welcomed ‘miracle’ triplets. Tyne Rogers, 30, from Birmingham, West Midlands, thought he may never have a family of his own because he feared nobody would be attracted to … Read more
No more British troops will be prosecuted over Afghanistan war crimes, Veteran’s minister Johnny Mercer says after £10m probe was closed without bringing any charges Inquiry by Royal Military Police found no evidence with which to bring charges At peak, investigation looked into 675 criminal allegations from 159 people Comes as UK government proposes laws … Read more
Care home manager is jailed after fleecing her patients to send £23,000 to conman she fell in love with on Christian dating site Helen Hughes, 56, took money from residents of the Ashton Park Care Home She took £23,000 in total from five different residents in Newport, South Wales She gave the money to a … Read more
Senior officer at nuclear police force faces the sack after being accused of wearing fake Iraq and Afghanistan war medals to awards ceremony Supt Glenn McAleavey accused of wearing fake medals to awards ceremony He could be sacked from his position at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary McAleavey served in Royal Navy for 4 years before becoming … Read more
Serbia sends the army to its border with Croatia to ‘secure’ three camps holding 1,500 migrants trying to reach the EU amid claims of ‘harassment’ against local people Serbian Defence Ministry deployed army to a town near the border with Croatia Told to ‘secure’ three migrant camps housing some 1,500 people near Sid President Vucic … Read more