Meet the Newcastle graduate campaigning for Afghan families abandoned by allied forces after the war
Newcastle University graduate Larisa Brown (BA Politics and History, 2010) is celebrating the publication of her first book, The Gardener of Lashkar Gah, which covers the true story of an Afghan family whose lives were put in danger when the US and its allies withdrew from the country in 2021.
31 August 2023
Newcastle University graduate Larisa Brown (BA Politics and History, 2010) is celebrating the publication of her first book, The Gardener of Lashkar Gah, which covers the true story of an Afghan family whose lives were put in danger when the US and its allies withdrew from the country in 2021.
Ahead of its release on 31 August, we caught up with Larisa to find out more about her motivations for writing the book, and to reflect on her time at university.
Hi Larisa, can you introduce yourself to your fellow alumni and tell us a bit about your time at Newcastle University?
Of course. I’m Defence Editor at The Times, an author and Politics and History alumna from Newcastle University.
I spent my first year at Newcastle making memories at Ricky Road, before moving to West Jesmond with friends. My recollections of my time at university are filled with Rag Week, ice hockey (although I wasn’t very good at it), Tiger Tiger (always followed by cheesy chips after) and The Courier! Rag Week in my final year was great as not only did we raise lots of money for charity, we had a lot of fun doing it – and I made friends for life.
In the lecture halls, my most warm memories are of David Walker’s lectures. He was funny and actually made the (potentially) most boring parts of Politics super interesting. He also took time to get to know his students properly which was really nice. I've never forgotten him.
That’s so lovely to hear your memories of our academics and making friends at university. Are you still in touch with the friends you made at Newcastle?
It is now more than ten years since I graduated and one of my closest friends, Issy, was someone I met while studying at Newcastle. After graduating we shared a flat in London for years. We still see each other regularly and I know we will remain lifelong friends. As I mentioned, I also have a group of friends that I met through participating in Rag Week and despite living at opposite ends of the country we are still in touch and meet several times a year as a huge group of around 20!
And how did your experience with The Courier shape your career as a journalist?
I would credit my time at the student newspaper, The Courier, for inspiring my career as a journalist. In my final year I was the newspaper’s Life and Style Editor and I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities this experience gave me after I graduated in 2010.
Before I started writing for the newspaper, I had no idea what I wanted to do for a job. The Courier made me realise how interesting the world of journalism was. After I left Newcastle, I completed an NCTJ course in the city before going to Kenya to carry out a journalist internship.
For any recent graduates or current students reading this, I cannot stress the importance of work experience in helping your future. Put in the hard work and don't give up!
Can you tell us a bit more about your career?
I spent nearly a decade working for The Daily Mail, where in the early years I covered Scotland and the North East of England before going on to be their first female Defence Correspondent. I went to Beirut, Lebanon for the newspaper as Middle East Correspondent and then returned to London where I was promoted to Defence and Security Editor.
As Middle East Correspondent, I reported from Iraq, Syria, Morocco and Libya. I interviewed Islamic State prisoners on death row in Baghdad, Shamima Begum in a camp in Northern Syria and found a 9/11 terrorist back on the streets in Marrakesh.
In 2018 I won Campaign of the Year along with my colleague David Williams for our reporting on Afghan interpreters. I also covered Politics from Westminster during the EU referendum and two general elections.
In February 2021, I moved to The Times to be their Defence Editor and cover Diplomacy and Security for The Sunday Times. A year later Russia invaded Ukraine. A few days earlier I had been in Moscow with the British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who was told there were no plans for an invasion. Going inside the Russian defence ministry at a time of such heightened tensions was definitely a moment I will always remember.
Wow, that’s an impressive career! Your new book, The Gardener of Lashkar Gah, has been inspired by your experience as Defence Editor. What is the book about?
At its simplest, the book is about the impact of the 20-year war fought by the US and its allies in Afghanistan. The conflict is the longest war of the 21st century and brought opportunity and tragedy for those who were forced to live through it.
The abrupt withdrawal of British and American troops in 2021 created space for the Taliban to recapture the country, meaning Afghans who had loyally served alongside NATO forces were left to fend for themselves. This is the story of one such family.
Shaista Gul is 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 also 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 Gul family suffered.
And why did you think it was so important to share the story of the Gul family?
I've spent years campaigning for Afghan interpreters who served alongside UK forces during the war to be given sanctuary in Britain, firstly in my job as Defence Editor at the Daily Mail and more recently in my role as Defence Editor at The Times.
When the British and American troops withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, many former interpreters contacted me asking for help. At that time, I came across Jamal Barak, a former interpreter, and his father, Shaista Gul, a former gardener who worked at the British military base in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province. Shaista was trapped in his home as the city became surrounded by Taliban.
Over the weeks that followed I was in regular contact with Jamal, who was living in Coventry, and tried to help his family escape Afghanistan.
When I finally met Shaista I couldn't believe his family's story. They had been through so much together and were still suffering from the disastrous withdrawal. I knew then I had to write a book. I wanted others to fully understand the risks the Afghans took to help NATO forces, the threat to them and their families as a result, and the lasting consequences.
That sounds like a really meaningful story to tell the world. How can our alumni community find out more and read your book?
The Gardener of Lashkar Gah: The Afghans who Risked Everything to Fight the Taliban will be published by Bloomsbury Continuum on 31 August 2023 and available via all major booksellers.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, Larisa!
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