Afghanistan

During his first visit to Afghanistan in 2004 Jason witnessed the country's first ever democratic election. Despite threats from insurgent groups to disrupt the event, the widely expected campaign of violence did not materialise and both the capital Kabul and most of the country were trouble free. Afghans flocked to the polls to have a say in choosing a new leader.

Jason was also able to visit rehabilitation centers caring for the mentally ill and those suffering from drug addiction. Most institutions sheltering these victims of the conflict bear a striking resemblance to prisons with patients chained together to prevent them escaping or harming themselves and others.

In early summer 2007 Jason relocated to Kabul, Afghanistan and was soon embedded with British forces in Helmand, Afghanistan’s most volatile province. He joined the 1st Battalion Royal Anglians in the Sangin valley and at the Kajaki dam. Alongside the troops he documented the fighting patrols they conduct on a daily basis to disrupt Taliban activity and deny the enemy the chance to strengthen their hold on the local population. Every patrol resulted in some form of combat against Taliban fighters. Whilst with the Afghan Army and a small squad of British soldiers acting as mentors Jason was caught up in an extended ‘contact’ with exchanges of small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. An air strike was called in on a compound being used by the Taliban as a fire base. Several enemy fighters were killed and others were captured. To see more images from this story click here:

Other assignments took the photographer to Paktika province on the Pakistan border to join US forces in their operations against insurgent forces and to Tora Bora Osama Bin Laden’s old mountain hideout. He also covered subjects related to education and healthcare notably the work of an NGO who provide cardiac surgery to Afghan children.

Jason is still currently based in Afghanistan and continues to undertake editorial, corporate and travel assignments for broad range of UK, European and US newspapers and magazines.