Eddie Idrees (not his real name) was born in Kabul in 1985. His father was a colonel in the Afghan army and his mother a university lecturer. He went to school initially in Afghanistan before moving with his family, out of necessity during the civil war, to Peshawar, Pakistan for secondary and higher education.
From 2004 he worked for the Americans and US special forces before being assigned to the US Army Counter-Insurgency Academy in Kabul. In 2009 he was re-deployed to the British Special Air Service with whom he interpreted and operated until 2012.
He emigrated to the United Kingdom later that year. He has since gained a degree at a leading university and is currently studying for his Masters at another.