BFBS Radio Sitrep

Shaista Gul was known to thousands of British servicemen and women over the years. He created a small oasis of peace at the UK’s headquarters in Southern Afghanistan.

But after Lashkar Gah main operating base closed in 2014 he had to leave the job he loved, and with it the garden he’d created. 

What followed was Taliban intimidation, fatal attacks on his family, and eventually a perilous journey to eventual safety in the UK.

Sitrep talks to Larisa Brown, author of ‘The Gardener of Lashkar Gah: The Afghans Who Risked Everything to Fight the Taliban’, and Shaista Gul’s son Jamal, who worked as interpreter for Britain’s armed forces in Helmand.