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Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britain left me behind. Now the Taliban are hunting me down
Every two months, Tawab Karimi (not his real name) becomes someone else. New address. New neighbours. Same nightmare. In the maze of Kabul's residential neighbourhoods, where concrete walls topped with razor wire have become the norm, he moves like a ghost through his own city – never staying in one place long enough to feel safe, never staying away long enough to feel forgotten. Every other month, Mr Karimi packs his few belongings and slips away to a new hiding place. The Taliban fighters looking for him carry American-made weapons – an irony not lost on the man who once worked with British forces in Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security. Having initially applied for and been promised safe passage to Britain, he was repeatedly let down by officials who left him in Afghanistan. His circumstances only became more dangerous when he was added to a leaked list of Afghans who had helped British forces. 'I worked for Britons who were both civilians and military officers from 2012 until the fall of Kabul,' he tells The Telegraph from his latest safe house, his voice barely above a whisper. The walls around him are thin, and in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, even conversations can be dangerous. For nearly a decade, Mr Karimi worked in an intelligence office of the former government, moving through Kabul's heavily fortified Green Zone in District 10, where international forces managed their operations. 'They put me on the list after the fall of Kabul,' he recalls, referring to the leaked list that threatens death sentences for thousands of former government workers. Friends of his who were also on the list were approached by British officials, who gave them 25 days to introduce themselves and get out of the country. However, Mr Karimi had already gone into hiding, turning his phone off, and so missed the deadline. 'Later on, without telling me, I got to know through a friend they gave me a 25-day deadline to introduce myself to the contact so they could get me out of Afghanistan. 'I was in a very bad situation and turned my phones off,' he explains. 'Then they left and told me to register myself on Arap,' referring to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, Britain's programme for evacuating Afghan allies. 'They said my name is there. After that, I called them a lot but their phones were all off.' The chaotic days around Hamid Karzai International Airport in August 2021 haunt him still. 'I went outside the airport several times, but it was too risky and I did not know if I should be there or not,' he remembers. The images from that time – desperate crowds, Taliban checkpoints, the final flights departing – represent both hope and abandonment for thousands like Mr Karimi. 'I'm still waiting' But then, months later, his phone – now switched on – rang again. At 1am on a winter night, Mr Karimi's world briefly flickered back to life. 'A few months later, they called me and spoke with me for three hours – from 1am to 3am,' he recalls. 'They asked me many questions, took all my personal information, and asked where I was. I told them I was in a house in Kabul. They said that was fine, told me not to go out, and asked me to wait.' For three hours, Mr Karimi answered every question, provided every detail, clung to every word that suggested rescue might finally be coming. The British voices on the other end were thorough, professional, reassuring. They told him not to call them on their numbers. They would call him. 'But they never did, and I'm still waiting.' That midnight call came sometime after the devastating revelation that had upended thousands of lives: a massive data breach in 2022 that exposed the names of 25,000 Afghans who had applied for British asylum. The leak handed the Taliban a comprehensive directory of everyone who had helped Western forces. 'These two years since we heard the list was leaked have felt like 40 years for me and my family,' Mr Karimi explains. 'I worked in the Kabul Directorate – a key office in Afghanistan's intelligence operations,' he explains. 'Some people from our office were evacuated, and now they're using their connections and the privilege of being there to bring out everyone they know, while those truly at risk are still stuck here.' The selection process, according to Mr Karimi, prioritised low-ranking personnel over those facing the greatest danger. He watched in bewilderment as people with minimal ties to British forces found safety while senior intelligence officers remained trapped. 'I don't understand the evacuations' 'I know someone who was evacuated, and after arriving in Britain, managed to evacuate his mother-in-law, who is now gravely ill and on the brink of death,' he says. 'I also know people who never worked for the government but were evacuated in the rush of the past two years and are now living in Britain. 'Very strange people have been evacuated. I don't understand how it works – whether they have connections in London, paid someone, or something else – but they had no ties to Britain, the Afghan government, or foreign forces. 'I know someone with a disability who worked as a chef at a base in Helmand – he's now in Britain.' Every news report of former government workers being found and killed reinforces Mr Karimi's paranoia. Every Taliban patrol reminds him that the hunters are still searching. In his nomadic existence, Mr Karimi has become a living symbol of the West's unfinished business in Afghanistan. He represents thousands of Afghan allies who helped Nato forces during the 20-year war, only to find themselves abandoned when the international community withdrew. A life of perpetual motion Mr Karimi escorted BBC correspondents through Kabul's most dangerous districts, provided intelligence briefings to British officers, and navigated the complex tribal politics that could mean the difference between a successful mission and a body bag. His reward for that loyalty? A place on the Taliban's most-wanted lists and a life of perpetual motion. 'I was living in District 4, but then the Taliban started cracking down on anyone who had worked with foreigners in that part of Kabul,' he recalls. 'I moved to District 2, then to District 11, and then to several other areas.' Each move is calculated, each neighbourhood chosen for its anonymity, each departure timed to stay ahead of the Taliban's methodical hunt for former collaborators. The government secretly relocated nearly 24,000 Afghans. But for Mr Karimi, watching from his rotating safe houses, the evacuation process revealed a cruel lottery that seemed to prioritise the wrong people. A second man whose name is on the list told The Telegraph: 'People like base gardeners or low-ranking soldiers were taken to Britain, but many high-ranking colonels whose lives are truly at risk were left behind, just waiting for death to come.' The former special forces member criticised the selection process, saying Britain evacuated support staff while abandoning senior military allies. 'It's deeply disappointing. This isn't justice. I don't understand how they prioritised the evacuations – they even took the guy who used to polish shoes, or a base's barber, but left behind many colonels,' he said. 'I haven't slept well in years' Meanwhile, Mr Karimi's own family has become prisoners of his past. 'I've asked my children not to tell anyone what I used to do before,' he says. 'I haven't slept well in years. I'm always waiting for someone to come and arrest me or harm my children.' His days are spent obsessively checking his phone for any sign of hope, any indication that his name might appear on an evacuation list. 'I can't go out much and I'm constantly checking my phone for news or anything that could help me get out of this devastating situation. 'I heard from other colleagues that Britain is planning to secretly evacuate 33,000 people. I hope they can help me too.' But hope comes with its own price in Afghanistan. 'The Taliban have arrested many relatives of those evacuated. They're torturing them and forcing them to pay large sums of money,' Mr Karimi says. As night falls over Kabul, he checks the locks on his doors and windows, knowing that in a few weeks, he'll be doing the same ritual in a different location. 'During the day, I go out into the yard, but at night, it's a nightmare,' he says. 'I always feel like someone is going to come through the window.'
News.com.au
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Hollywood icon ripped to shreds at 54
He starred in this film alongside Danny DeVito and Claire Danes. Picture: Supplied In the sequels, Damon was further pushed with fight choreography and intensive strength and cardio training. Picture: Supplied In the film, Damon wore a wig, a moustache, and even a prosthetic nose to commit to the character. Picture: Supplied Apparently being a whistleblower is not as sexy as it may seem. Picture: Supplied Coming off his role as a chubby whistleblower in The Informant!, Matt Damon needed to whip himself back into shape to play South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar in Invictus. Picture: Supplied Matt Damon himself is 178cm, and Pienaar, the South African rugby star he was playing, is 191cm, so Damon had to gain muscle in order to play the character convincingly. Picture: Supplied To prepare for this role, he began exercising vigorously, with movements such as lifting weights and sprints. Director Clint Eastwood said, 'This film is the opposite of The Informant!, as far as physical conditioning goes. I think he liked it, an excuse to get into shape.' Picture: Supplied Matt Damon returns back to the war scene in the 2010 film Green Zone, playing Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller. For this role, he had to return to intense weapons and strength conditioning training to achieve the lean, muscular build he has in the film. Picture: Universal For those wanting to achieve his look, a bootcamp style is recommended. This combines strength exercises with high intensity cardio. Picture: Supplied Matt Damon in a scene from Green Zone. Picture: Universal His character in Green Zone is based on real-life Weapons of Mass Destruction hunter Richard 'Monty' Gonzales. He was hired to work as a Technical Adviser on the film. Picture: Supplied Elysium is a 2013 dystopian science fiction film, set in a world where the rich thrive in an advanced space station and the poor struggle back on Earth. Picture: Supplied Protagonist Max, played by Matt Damon, is told he is dying from radiation poisoning and needs to get to Elysium to save himself. Picture: Supplied Speaking to Variety, Damon revealed that director Neill Blomkamp had a strict expectation on what he was required to look like: 'he actually had a picture with my face tacked onto this guy with this body, and they literally hired me a trainer and I went to him with the picture. It was four hours a day in the gym - and I'm not 26 anymore, but I got into shape.' Supplied by Sony Pictures Australia. He was also required to shave his head, a totally new look for the actor. Picture: Supplied The weapons training is paying off. Supplied by Sony Pictures Australia. Don't mess with Max. Picture: AP Photo/Columbia Pictures, TriStar, Kimberly French Hopefully this is set in a future, far, far, FAR away? Picture: AP Photo/TriStar, Columbia Pictures He scrubbed up nicely at the premiere of Elysium in Sydney, 2013. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts Sharlto Copley and Matt Damon at the premiere of Elysium. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts 2015 film The Martian is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. The film is based on Andy Weir's novel The Martian, and is about an astronaut (played by Matt Damon) who is left stranded on Mars and is forced to adapt in order to survive. Picture: 20th Century Fox via AP Damon was required to look leaner and aged due to his character story of surviving in space. His character is only able to harvest potatoes for food, a feat even the biggest hot chippy lover might struggle with. Picture: Fox films While he reportedly lost some weight for certain scenes, he didn't lose a Courage Under Fire level amount of weight. For later scenes in the movie, where his character was to look very emaciated due to the lengthy amount of time spent in space, a body double was used. Picture: Fox films Damon also donned a bit of facial hair in the film, but it is widely believed that was added in post-production. Picture: Fox films Matt Damon won The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in The Martian. Picture: Fox films 2017 sci-fi film Downsizing tells the story of Paul (Matt Damon) who decides to undergo 'downsizing', a procedure that offers a better life by shrinking people. Picture: IMDb Matt Damon appeared fully bald in the film, but he was not required to shave his head. Instead, he wore a skull cap and his eyebrows were digitally removed. Picture: IMDb The movie was a departure from what Damon usually stars in, and rated poorly. Picture: IMDb On May 31, 2025, he stepped out looking unlike his usual clean-cut movie star self when he headlined Netflix's Tudum. Picture: Michael Tran / AFP
Winnipeg Free Press
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
West sizzles while East struggles
As a sports reporter, I'm fascinated by fandom — the intense emotion fans invest in a team, from pure bliss to undeniable disdain. I see it daily, whether encountering praise or vitriol on social media, or watching family members scream at the TV over a bad play. Unlike many, I don't have an allegiance to any team, in any sport. My career choice and journalism school lessons about objectivity ultimately stripped me of any interest in a team's results, leaving me both lucky and, at times, envious not to have my heartstrings tugged by every win or loss. This past weekend, while listening to 980 CJME's Green Zone post-game show in Regina after the Saskatchewan Roughriders' road victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the fan calls were striking. Despite improving to 2-0, callers weren't celebrating; instead, they were fixated on kicker Brett Lauther's terrible night. John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Matthew Peterson (22) didn't miss a beat in the season opener against the B.C. Lions, replacing an injured Brady Oliveira. Lauther missed three field goals and an extra point, turning a comfortable lead into a narrow five-point win. But was it truly worth the collective meltdown and demands for his job? An emotional fan might point to last year's Week 11 loss to the Montreal Alouettes, where Lauther also struggled. Yet, I recall him making 28 of his next 29 field goal attempts to close that season. Sometimes, it's just a matter of perspective. Now, let's dive into the latest edition of CFL Rundown. 1) While Winnipeg beating B.C. wasn't a wild development — we've certainly seen crazier in the CFL — few would have predicted how they secured the victory over their West Division rival. Indeed, Chris Streveler outduelling Nathan Rourke wouldn't have been on many people's bingo cards, but that's precisely what transpired. Streveler looked poised and comfortable in the pocket, while Rourke struggled; had it not been for a few completed deep passes, his presence would have bordered on irrelevant. A lot of credit belongs to Winnipeg's offensive line for giving Streveler time and creating holes in the run game, and to the Bombers' defence for once again shutting down Rourke, who is now winless in five games against the Blue and Gold. The Bombers reminded the West that the road to the Grey Cup goes through Winnipeg, while simultaneously humbling a Lions club that might not be as good as first thought following their Week 1 triumph over Edmonton. 2) The Bombers losing reigning MOP, running back Brady Oliveira, after the first series made the win more impressive and again speaks to the stellar play of the O-line, as the offence didn't miss a beat. And it wasn't Streveler, who rushed just twice for nine yards, carrying the extra load, but rookie Matthew Peterson. In his first CFL game, Peterson rushed 23 times for 130 yards, including a highlight-reel 38-yard touchdown. With Oliveira expected to miss some time with a shoulder injury, many are wondering what Peterson might be able to do for an encore. Peterson has been working with the first-team offence so that suggests he'll get his first start this week in a rematch with B.C. on Saturday. But don't sleep on American tailback Quinton Cooley, who should also make the game-day roster. Cooley, who stands 5-7 but clocks in at 220 pounds, impressed with his physicality in the pre-season. The Bombers have been looking for an excuse to move him from the practice squad to the main roster, making him someone to keep an eye on. John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Quinton Cooley (right) could also be a substitute for an injured Brady Oliveira going forward. The running back impressed in the pre-season against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 3) The Redblacks dropped to 0-2 following their lopsided loss, 38-19, at home to the Montreal Alouettes. Ottawa didn't look competitive from the get-go, falling behind early and never once leading on the scoreboard. Patience is running thin in the nation's capital, with a portion of the fanbase calling for head coach Bob Dyce's job. While I understand the doubt creeping in — Dyce boasts a 14-27-1 record as the bench boss in Ottawa — it's still early. The Redblacks haven't had the best luck with injuries, with their O-line severely banged up and No. 1 QB Dru Brown also sidelined in Week 2. Furthermore, Dyce signed an extension over the off-season, leaving him under contract through the 2026 campaign. That said, Dyce needs to address his club's discipline, as the Redblacks are averaging more than 100 penalty yards through two games. 4) Three East Division teams — Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton — are still searching for their first win of the season, each starting 0-2. While all three have their issues, the Argonauts appear to be in the biggest trouble. Without quarterback Chad Kelly, the Argos have struggled to find an offensive rhythm and it's become clear that Nick Arbuckle doesn't have the same magic he showed as last year's Grey Cup MVP. This lack of offensive consistency has also magnified the growing pains on defence, a unit that saw significant turnover throughout the off-season. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie is already indicating Kelly could miss another week, so we'll see if the Argos can spoil Saskatchewan's visit and their 2-0 record with mostly the same struggling group. 5) In the West Division, three clubs remain perfect through two weeks: Saskatchewan (2-0), Calgary (2-0) and Winnipeg (1-0). All three teams have had impressive showings, but Winnipeg has sent the biggest message to the rest of the league, despite playing just one game so far. Many people have been waiting for the Bombers to 'fall off' after five straight Grey Cup appearances, but this team looked in mid-season form in their win over B.C. Based on first impressions, they appear to be strong contenders for a sixth straight championship game. While it's still too early to tell, the West feels like it's going to be a battle all year long. 6) Two teams worth keeping a close eye on in the coming weeks are Calgary and Hamilton. The Stampeders have surprised many — starting perfect through two games — but it should be noted that their wins have come against an Argos team missing their No. 1 quarterback and a Ticats club that appears to be an early front-runner for bottom-feeder of the league. Calgary will face the Redblacks with Brown back under centre, and then has a run through the mighty West, playing Winnipeg and Saskatchewan twice each over its next six games; Montreal and another tilt against Ottawa will round out that run. We should know a lot more about the Stamps by then, but will get clues throughout, beginning with their toughest challenge this week. As for the Ticats, they're on their bye week, returning to play the Alouettes in Week 4. Then it's the Argos, who should have Kelly back by then. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Hamilton was still looking for its first win come Week 6. 7) A hearty congratulations to Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun and Judy Owen of Canadian Press, the local duo making up the Class of 2025 inducted into the media wing of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Both have contributed significantly to football coverage over their decades-long careers and both are extremely worthy of this honour. They'll be inducted with a special ceremony during Grey Cup week in Winnipeg later this year. Jon Blacker / THE CANADIAN PRESS Toronto Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle (left) doesn't have the same magic he showed as last year's Grey Cup MVP. The Argos are still looking for their first win of the season. Jeff HamiltonMultimedia producer Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University's journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff. Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
