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The powerful true story of the Afghans left behind as the Taliban conquered the country The 20-year war fought by the US and its allies in Afghanistan is the longest war of the 21st century. It brought opportunity and tragedy for those who were forced to live through it. The abrupt withdrawal of British and American troops in 2021, in what may come to be regarded as one of the worst foreign policy failures of the past hundred years, precipitated the swift recapture of the country by the Taliban. With the withdrawal came upheaval and torment for Afghans who had loyally served alongside NATO forces and were left to fend for themselves at the gates of Kabul airport. This is the story of one such family. The Gardener of Lashkar Gah follows the extraordinary journey of Shaista Gul, a kind man who built a beautiful garden inside a British military base in Helmand Province that became famous as a calm oasis for soldiers with troubled minds. Other members of his family worked for the allies, including his son Jamal, who became an interpreter for the British Army when he was just a teenager. Following the chaotic withdrawal of allied troops, all members of the family suffered. Larisa Brown - Defence Editor for The Times , award-winning journalist and a campaigner for the interpreters of Afghanistan - has spent hundreds of hours talking to members of the Gul family and others in order to tell their remarkable story. In heart-warming and beautifully human prose, she unspools a tale of courage, hope and sacrifice - with the beauty of the garden and the hopes and dreams of the family counterpointed against the violence, anger and chaos raging in Afghanistan at the time. The scandalous betrayal of many of the interpreters and others who worked for the British and American armies is still being revealed. By telling one family''s bittersweet experience - The Gardener of Lashkar Gah provides a unique and powerful insight into the devastating effects on ordinary Afghans of the end of the disastrous ''War on Terror''.>...
About the author
Larisa Brown is a multi-award winning journalist and Defence Editor of The Times. She has many years of experience reporting from conflict zones around the world, including Syria, Libya and Afghanistan. Prior to joining The Times Larisa was Defence and Security Editor at the Daily Mail where she spearheaded the newspaper's much praised Betrayal of the Brave campaign. It fought for interpreters who helped fight the Taliban to be given sanctuary in Britain and won Campaign of the Year at the British Journalism Awards 2018.
Summary
"Beautifully researched and deeply moving, [this book] brought me to tears more than once" -- John Simpson, The Guardian
"First-class...exhaustively researched and sensitively written" -- The Times
The extraordinary true story of the Afghans who risked their lives for us
The sudden withdrawal of British and American troops from Afghanistan in 2021, ended the 20 year war on terror, yet it also left Afghanistan to be reconquered by the Taliban. As violence and religious fundamentalism once again overwhelmed the region, thousands of Afghans who loyally served the British and American armies were left behind.
This is the story of what happened to them when the West left
The Gardener of Lashkar Gah follows the extraordinary journey of Shaista Gul, a kind former-policeman who built a beautiful garden inside a military base in Helmand Province that became famous as a calm oasis for soldiers with troubled minds. Other members of his family worked for the allies, including his son Jamal, who became an interpreter for the British Army when he was just a teenager. Following the chaotic withdrawal of allied troops, a suicide bombing at Kabul airport and a desperate scramble to re-unite loved ones and evacuate the region, all members of the family suffered.
Larisa Brown - Defence Editor for The Times, award-winning journalist and a campaigner for the interpreters of Afghanistan - has spent hundreds of hours talking to members of the Gul family and others across the region in order to tell their remarkable stories. In heart-warming and beautifully human prose, she unspools a tale of courage, hope and sacrifice - with the beauty of the garden and the hopes and dreams of the family counterpointed against the violence, anger and chaos raging in Afghanistan at the time.
The scandalous betrayal of many of the interpreters and others who worked for the British and American armies is still being revealed. By telling one family's bittersweet experience - The Gardener of Lashkar Gah provides a unique and powerful insight into the devastating effects on ordinary Afghans of the end of the 'War on Terror'.
Additional text
'Exhaustively researched and sensitively written, The Gardener of Lashkar Gah is a first-class account of one family's struggle to survive the West's ill-fated and ultimately futile war in Afghanistan.'
