Afghanistan

Military photographer recalls brutality after being eye to eye with the Taliban

A British military photographer has recalled the brutality of the Taliban, a year on from his deployment to Kabul.

At the time of his arrival there, Petty Officer Ben Shread was the only UK forces photographer in theatre.

He captured images of the incredible evacuation of British citizens and eligible Afghans from the airport at Kabul, under Operation Pitting.

He told Forces News: "I'd say it's probably the highlight of my career, and I've had a lot of highlights in my career.

"Watching our men and women in action out there filled me full of pride. It was great for me to be able to tell the stories of those guys out on the ground."

He did, however, describe the awful scenes at the hands of the resurgent Taliban.

"At the beginning, when Kabul fell, I think there was quite a moderate version of the Taliban there," he said.

"As the evacuation process went on, it became a more hardline version of the Taliban there, they were treating the evacuees much worse.

"Sometimes they were beating them with rubber hoses and stuff like that."

Watch: Escape from Kabul, the story of British military's Afghanistan evacuation mission.

His images were circulated around the world and were even used to help Prime Minister Boris Johnson brief US President Biden.

Having gained plaudits and a Royal Navy award for his work in Kabul, Petty Officer Shread has been passing on his experiences at the Defence School of Photography at RAF Cosford.

Petty Officer Shread's deployment to Kabul may have been his last. At the age of 44, he is considering a life outside the Armed Forces.

It will be his skills behind the lens, images that have been seen by millions of people worldwide, that will serve as a legacy for an impressive career as one of the Royal Navy's best photographers.