Former special forces solider returns to Afghanistan to meet Taliban

Former Afghanistan veteran who was medically discharged from the army with PTSD returns to meet Taliban leader in a chilling confrontation

• Jason Fox returned to Afghanistan after serving in the British army in the 2000s
• He met with Taliban leader, Akbar Agha to discussed the problem in the region 
• Former troop also met children who had been blown up and the serving army 

A former elite Special Forces soldier, who struggled with PTSD and suicidal thoughts after serving in Afghanistan, returned to the country to meet a Taliban leader in a chilling confrontation.

Jason Fox, who joined the army aged 17, starred in SAS: Who Dares Wins, for a special on Channel 4 this evening.

The former soldier was seen returning to the war-torn country for the first time since he was medically discharged from the army with PTSD.

 The hour-long programme saw him meet Akbar Agha, a leader of the Taliban and man, who Jason said would have been ‘a prize target’ for him and his fellow soldiers in the early 2000s. 

Jason Fox, who joined the army aged 17 and has starred in SAS: Who Dares Wins, returned to the war-torn country for the first time since he was medically discharged from the army with PTSD for a special on Channel 4 this evening

The hour-long programme saw him meet Akbar Agha, a leader of the Taliban and man who Jason said would have been ‘a prize target’ for him and his fellow soldiers in the early 2000s

When Jason asked him how he felt about the British occupation of the Taliban, he said: ‘At the time there wasn’t a lot of Taliban but that was when they opened Guatmano bay  – that was when the Taliban grew from thousands to hundreds of thousands

That was many mistakes of the time – the rest is history’.

When Jason, known as Foxy, argued that people should face consequences for their actions, Akbar admitted: ‘Things should not have come to this, a lot of people have died in Afghanistan’.

Jason then asked if he had respect for British soldiers, adding that the British military forces had the ‘up most’ respect for the Taliban and described them as ‘driven, motivated, ‘stubborn’ and with a terrific ability to adapt and learn quickly.

Jason then asked if he had respect for British soldiers, adding that the British military forces had the ‘up most’ respect for the Taliban and described them as ‘driven, motivated, ‘stubborn’ and with a terrific ability to adapt and learn quickly

On arrival in the country, Jason, said he was ‘excited but nervous’ and ‘not entirely sure it’s a good idea’ to return to the country (pictured in his mid twenties as a solider) 

Agha then replied that he needed to go to prayer and refused to answer.

On arrival into the country, Jason, said he was ‘excited but nervous’ and ‘not entirely sure it’s a good idea’ to return to the country. 

He rode in a military grade car and spoke over two-way radio to his security team as they discussed a man on a moped riding with a gun on his back, and whether he was a potential threat. 

Jason rode in a military grade car and spoke over two-way radio to his security team as they discussed a man on a moped riding with a gun on his back, and whether he was a potential threat.

‘These cars are bullet magnets’, he said. ‘They attract attention’ he explained. 

Speaking candidly abut his struggles coming out of Afghanistan at the start of the show, Jason said:  ‘I remember the moment driving up to the car park and wondering what I was doing with my life, the day just spiralled out of control.

‘I felt like I didn’t want to be on the planet anymore’.

Speaking candidly abut his struggles coming out of Afghanistan at the start of the show, Jason said: ‘I remember the moment driving up to the car park and wondering what I was doing with my life, the day just spiralled out of control and I wondered to the edge’.

Meeting soldiers later on, he said that David Cameron’s promise – of all soldiers being out of Afghanistan by 2014 –  has not been kept.

He said he felt ‘justified’ when he first went to Afghanistan.

‘First time I went to Afghanistan 26, it was just  post 9/11 and the Taliban refused to hand Osma Bin Laden over’.

Speaking to current soldiers about it now, he said ‘You see 18-year-old lads throwing up because they’re so scared’.

Later, meeting soldiers he said that David Cameron’s promise – of all soldiers being out of Afghanistan by 2014 – has not been kept

‘There’s a silver lining, in the British military are trained up and are trying to do good for the country’.

One of the troops said he could justify being there because he was keeping people safe at home.

Elsewhere, he met children in a hospital that lost their legs in what he described as ‘a rocket attack’. 

At the end of the show, he is seen hiking up one of Afghanistan’s tallest mountains with a group of female graduates, commenting that it was something that would have been banned under the Taliban.  

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