RICHARD PENDLEBURY witnessed the courage of the men of 2 Mercians in Afghan conflict.

We were lying along a thin tree line by a ditch, having just come under accurate machine gun fire for the first time that day. It was a little after 10.30am and hot. Very hot, certainly, by the standards of Derby, Nottingham and Worcester, where the recruiting officers had welcomed the soldiers beside me. Not … Read more

Afghan gang deflate and bury dinghies on French beaches before charging migrants £2,000 to get to UK

Afghan criminal gang are deflating and burying dinghies on French beaches before charging migrants £2,000 each to use them to get to the UK An alleged criminal network is thought to been buying second-hand boats online They then stashed the vessels – which could carry up to 15 migrants – near Calais The migrants would … Read more

ISIS gunman shoots dead three female Afghan TV and radio workers in targeted attacks

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the killing of three women working for a local radio and TV station in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday. The attacks in Jalalabad are the latest in a spike of targeted killings that have seen judges, journalists and other professionals ambushed by gunmen or killed by car bombs.   The … Read more

Pregnant Afghan woman who set herself on fire in Lesbos refugee camp is charged with arson

Pregnant Afghan woman who set herself on fire in Lesbos refugee camp is charged with arson The 26-year-old suffered burns to her hands, feet and head after fire on Sunday Mother-of-three provided testimony to a prosecutor from her bed in hospital  She was told she couldn’t go Germany due to being in late stage of … Read more

30 Taliban militants killed in Afghan bomb-making class explosion

30 Taliban militants are killed in explosion during bomb-making class at Afghan mosque The blast happened on Saturday morning in Qultaq, a village in Balkh province Six foreign nationals were among those killed, according to security services  Taliban violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months despite peace talks  On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens … Read more

Taliban gunmen assassinate two Afghan women judges in Kabul ambush two days after US cut troop level

Two Afghan women judges have been assassinated in the country’s capital in an attack that has been blamed on the Taliban.  Gunmen shot dead the two unnamed judges, who worked for the Supreme Court, on Sunday in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings of high-profile figures have sown fear in the restive city.  … Read more

Afghan military translator who is trapped in a ‘hellhole’ Greek refugee camp is coming to the UK

Afghan military translator who is trapped with his sick wife in a ‘hellhole’ Greek refugee camp has been told they CAN come to the UK Former British military interpreter trapped on Greek island is coming to UK Nesar, who worked on front lines in Helmand, said news was ‘dream come true’ He and his wife … Read more

Defence chiefs fired more than a THIRD of their Afghan translators, figures show 

Defence chiefs fired more than a THIRD of their Afghan translators – without right to appeal, figures show More than 1,000 interpreters had contracts ‘terminated’ without right to appeal No fired translator gets a relocation even if they claim to be Taliban targets Some say they’re only finding out terminations when applying to come to … Read more

Afghan women’s rights activist shot dead by gunmen days after she condemned wave of assassinations

Top Afghan women’s rights activist, 29, is shot dead by motorbike-riding gunmen days after she condemned wave of assassinations in the country Freshta Kohistani is the second activist to be killed in Kabul in two days Her brother was also killed in the drive-by attack which took place near her home Freshta was outspoken about women’s … Read more

More than 600 Afghan translators ‘abandoned’ as UK Government unit snubs battlefield heroes 

New blow for Afghan translators: More than 600 ‘are abandoned’ as UK Government unit that examines pleas for sanctuary snubs battlefield heroes Former Afghan translators for UK forces face grave threats to their lives but say the standard set by the UK government for sanctuary is ‘impossible’ to meet The UK’s Intimidation Investigation Unit (IIU) … Read more