135: Taken by the Taliban | Anthony Stephen Malone

Anthony Stephen Malone is a former 5th Generation soldier with the British Army, author of 5 books and was taken hostage by the Taliban for 190 days. 
Anthony Joined the Paras at age 17 and served in multiple locations across the world. He has dedicated his life to various intelligence and security agencies which in turn led to his period in captivity having been taken by the Taliban for 190 days. Anthony's military training has ensured he has a very positive mindset where failure is never an option.  
Anthony chose to keep going back to hostile environments after his military life as he always felt at home living and working in chaos. He returned to Afghanistan as part of  Operation Patriot which was focused on helping local veterans get out of the country  following allied force withdrawal and the Taliban retaking control of large areas of the country. It was when Anthony returned to Afghanistan overtly to try and assist families leave the country that he was abducted spending 190 days in an underground Taliban interrogation centre in Kabul. Anthony had no reason to believe that his liberty was at risk prior to this event as his efforts in country were purely humanitarian.  Anthony was the victim of an internal power struggle within the Taliban itself and it was the extremist element that decided to remove Anthony and two others from the street and take them to HQ which then turned into 190 days of captivity.  Anthony was soon to endure over 4 weeks of torture and interrogation leaving him with broken bones, nerve damage, concussion and more. It was at this point that mindset became all important for Anthony to push away any feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, even with the fear of execution being mooted by his captures. Anthony had two options, either curl up, cry and die, or make the best of the situation and focus on the potential for a positive resolution. 
Anthony explains a fascinating exchange he had with his interrogator that became a battle of purpose and wits which eventually led to his release. 
His biggest takeaway remains the ability to use negative and painful experiences to help others navigate and cope with stress and challenge. 
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