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Brave Owen Wason's shattered girlfriend found him hanged eight years later at his flat after he fell victim to post traumatic stress disorder

A HERO Royal Marine who was sent to Afghanistan as a teenager killed himself after being haunted by the horrors he witnessed.

Brave Owen Wason just 18 when he became the youngest member of 45 Commando posted there saw eight of his friends killed by the Taliban.

The Marines shattered girlfriend found him hanged eight years later at his flat after he fell victim to post traumatic stress disorder.

Grieving stepdad Paul Martin told an inquest how Owen, who joined up straight from school, kept his nightmares secret from his family.

He described him as an inspirational, courageous, popular, humorous and shining young man adding: He was a phenomenal Royal Marine.

Mr Martin said: Owen was a really good lad and a great character.

He had some difficulties, but worked on them really hard and was doing well until six months ago when he started getting into difficulties.

He couldnt cope too well with stress at times though he really worked hard to hide that from people who were close to him.

Owens first six-month tour in Afghanistan was in 2008.

He was on regular foot patrol in Helmands Upper Sangin Valley and cleared hundreds of improvised bombs planted by the murderous Taliban.

His family described the time he spent there as particularly brutal.

A year before UK combat operations ended in 2013 the Marine endured a second stint in the war-torn country.

Tormented Owen killed himself last October at the age of 26.

His distraught girlfriend called 999 from his home in Darlington, Co Durham, after finding his lifeless body.

Detective Constable Stewart Walker told the inquest in Crook, Co Durham, how Owen had locked the door to his flat then hanged himself.

Coroner Andrew Tweddle said as he recorded a verdict of suicide: He appears to have been very determined to end his own life.

A total of 454 British troops died in Afghanistan. A charity appeal launched after Owens death has raised more than 6,450 for survivors battling PTSD.

Do you need help? Contact The Samaritans on 116 123 or visit http://www.samaritans.org. PAPYRUS HOPELineUK also provides confidential suicide prevention advice and support to young people and others worried about them tel 0800 068 4141 text 07786 209 697 email pat@papyrus-uk.org

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Royal Marine who served in Afghanistan hanged himself after seeing friends killed by Taliban - The Sun

Action taken on The News/Jang report

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday took notice of women trafficking in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and sought reports from the twin cities top police bosses within three days.

The notice was taken on a news story published in a section of media under caption Women trafficking in twin cities goes on unchecked and a column Sub Gongay Kun Ho Gay narrating the story of a 40-year-old woman, a mother of three hailing from Rawalpindi, who was sold to different hands and reached Afghanistan.

The abductors demanded Rs300,000 to return the lady while the police admitted that they couldnt do anything in this situation. The story further revealed that innumerable women from Pakistan were sold in Afghanistan by an organized gang (more than 150 members) through fake marriage deeds. There were also many cases where women were used for sex slavery.

The News/Jang story divulged that the FIR of 40-year-old woman was registered on January 1, 2017 with the Airport Police Station, Rawalpindi but in vain, as the police were using conventional delaying tactics.

The husband of the abducted woman received a phone call from an agent in Afghanistan who demanded Rs300,000 to release his wife otherwise he would sell her to someone else. Her husband being a daily wager could not manage such a huge amount to bring his wife back.

The story further revealed that the agent paid Rs50,000 to her husband and she was told that she would be back to Pakistan in 15 days. But when she told this reality to the Afghan handlers that she was married and had kids, the Afghan agent held her as captive and was now demanding Rs300,000 from the Pakistani agents to cover his losses.

The news story further stated that Khanna Pull, Fauji Colony, Chuhur, Koh-e-Noor Mills area in Rawalpindi city are the hubs of this gang. There are more than 150 members of this gang who apparently work under the guise of matchmakers. They track poor families having grown-up girls, bring some matches and offer them a handsome money.

Once the parents agree, they sell them off either in Afghanistan or to anyone in the country. Moreover, this gang has sold many Pakistani girls in Afghanistan or Afghan girls in Pakistan to the old villagers through fake Nikkah solemnized by a Nikkah registrar.

The Nikkah registrar is usually the prayer leader of a big mosque in the same vicinity who charges Rs5,000 per Nikkah. An aged Pakistani woman residing in Swabi leads the gangs activities in Afghanistan. She takes girls with her to Jalalabad and sells them to Afghan agents. The gang keeps on changing their houses to avoid being traced.

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CJ takes notice of women smuggling to Afghanistan - The News International

Afghanistan Struggles to Access China's New Silk Road Wall Street Journal (subscription) MAZAR-E-SHARIF, AfghanistanA new railway between China and Afghanistan, part of Beijing's Silk Road initiative to promote regional trade, has run into roadblocks in Uzbekistan, apparently over fears that it could also benefit terrorists. The first ...

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Afghanistan Struggles to Access China's New Silk Road - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

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In its most recent defense, Beijing claims the two countries were only carrying out counter-terrorism operations along their common border, reports Reuters.

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Afghanistan borders the autonomous region of Xinjiang, home to Chinas largest concentration of the Muslim Uighur minority in the country.

In December, Indias World Is One News (WION) published pictures purporting to show Chinese military troops patrolling inside Afghanistan.

Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, denied the claims at the time. China and its neighbor India are regional rivals.

Chinas Defense Ministry has recently denied similar claims.

This month, the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst think-tank said in a report on its website that Chinese troops were on Afghan soil conducting joint patrols with their Afghan counterparts, notes Reuters.

In response, Ren Guoqiang, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, reportedly said:

This is law enforcement bodies from China and Afghanistan, in accordance with a bilateral agreement on strengthening border law enforcement, conducting cooperation along the border so as to jointly carry out counter-terrorism and to fight against cross-border crime.

Reports in foreign media of Chinese military vehicles patrolling inside Afghanistan do not accord with the facts, he added.

China has participated in attempts to bring the Taliban to the table to negotiate peace terms with the Afghan government.

In July 2016, Afghan news outlets reported that China has begun to providemilitary aid to Afghanistan at the behest of Kabul.

Afghanistan requested military assistance from China in late March 2016, saying the Afghan government remains committed and willing to work together with China for securing mutual and regional benefits and hailing China for its unconditional support to Afghanistan in the past 13 years, reported Khaama Press (KP).

China reportedly provided the military aid to Afghanistan last year using Russian planes.

The assistance to Afghan government indicates a common cause between China and Afghanistan. That common cause means that terrorism has been deemed a threat to both countries. The assistance is the beginning of a joint plan for combat against terrorism, declared Afghanistans National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar at the time.

This big regional initiative initiated by the Afghan government will steadily marginalize supporters of terrorism, he added. Terrorism and its supporters will not have any friends left in the region.

Russia has also provided military aid to the Afghan government and allegedly to its enemy the Taliban as well.

In October 2015, Gen. John Campbell, then-top commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, warned that if the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, other superpowers may seek to fill in the security vacuum.

If were not there to provide influence, somebody else is going to be there, whether its Russia, China, Iran you name it, he said.

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Beijing Again Denies Chinese Military Patrols Inside Afghanistan - Breitbart News

AFGHANISTAN TOUR OF ZIMBABWE, 2017

Cricbuzz StaffLast updated on Fri, 24 Feb, 2017, 06:33 PM

Representational Image: Graeme Cremer took two wickets for Zimbabwe. AFP

Unlike most One-Day Internationals happening across the world, where 300-plus totals are the norm, the ongoing series between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan has brought in quite a change. It has been a series where batsmen have found the going tough. With rain interrupting play time and again, and the soggy outfield slowing the ball down, batsmen have found it difficult to score freely. Coming in to the fourth encounter of the series, none of the batsmen from either sides had aggregated 100 runs in three matches.

Friday (February 24) was no different, with Chris Mpofu snaring three and Tendai Chatara and Graeme Cremer bagging two wickets each to bowl Zimbabwe for 111.

Asghar Stanikzai, Afghanistan skipper, won the toss and elected to bat. It took little time for the hosts to take a commanding position in the match, with Chatara striking twice in his first five overs to remove opener Ihsanullah Janat (0) and Rahmat Shah (1). The start itself was quiet with Zimbabwe's new ball pair of Chatara and Richard Ngarava conceding only five runs off the first eight overs.

Before the 10th over, even the hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad made his way back when he inside edged a slog to short midwicket off Ngarava. At 12 for 3, in the 10th over, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Stanikzai came together to put up the best partnership of Afghanistan's innings. The duo looked to hit their way out of pressure. The effort paid off with a 28-ball 29-run stand for the fourth wicket, before the skipper edged Mpofu to the keeper.

Wickets continued to tumble at a regular pace from thereon with Shahidi too departing in a similar fashion. There were handy contributions from the lower order with Samiullah Shenwari (13), Mohammad Nabi (17), Gulbadin Naib (10) and Rashid Khan (11) registering double-figure scores. The adjusted target of 105 from 42 may not be big, but given how the series has panned out, it has given the tourists little hope to defend and seal the series.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 111 in 38.5 overs (Asghar Stanikzai 19, Mohammad Nabi 17; Chris Mpofu 3-25, Graeme Cremer 2-12) vs Zimbabwe

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Mpofu's triple strike bundles out Afghanistan for 111 - Cricbuzz