Afghan Veteran Hospitalised After Railway Station Assault

Noor Aziz Ahmadzai, a distinguished Afghan Special Forces veteran, has been hospitalised with a serious brain injury following an alleged assault at Weymouth railway station last month. Ahmadzai, 39, collapsed whilst working as a security guard and was subsequently airlifted for urgent medical attention, where scans revealed a bleed on the brain. Though he has since regained consciousness, his former partner, Georgia Morse, indicated that he faces a protracted recovery.

British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed that two 17-year-old girls were arrested in connection with the incident and have since been released as enquiries continue. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Atwell urged any witnesses to come forward.

Ahmadzai’s military career in Afghanistan included officer training at Sandhurst and serving as deputy commander of a counter-terrorism unit. He was instrumental in confronting suicide bombers and responded to major incidents, including the 2018 Taliban siege of the Intercontinental Hotel and the 2020 attack on a Kabul maternity ward. Following the Taliban takeover in 2021, he was relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy due to his critical work with British forces.

Despite his desire to serve in the UK armed forces, current regulations stipulate a minimum five-year residency for British citizenship, a prerequisite for enlistment. Morse also expressed surprise that Ahmadzai does not qualify for assistance from veterans' charities. She stated, “We’ve reached out to military charities and unfortunately he falls through the cracks because he wasn’t a British serving veteran, even though he served alongside them.” This gap in support underscores a systemic failing for those who risked their lives in direct cooperation with Western military objectives, yet are denied equivalent post-service care.