Clarissa Ward, “CNN’s chief international correspondent”,
has been -on the ground in Afghanistan as the country- has crumbled, Starting with an abandoned United
States military base in Ghazni province, then to a precarious position in Kandahar region with Afghan
soldiers under continuous sniper fire, and finally ending with dramatic images on the streets of Kabul.
Chaos reigned at the airport in the Taliban-held city, with desperate Afghans attempting to flee and
additional US soldiers sent to supervise an evacuation.
However, Islamic extremists have been “bending over themselves to seem to be a mature diplomatic political force.”
That is the picture they want to project,” Ward told Deadline this afternoon. “They have been friendly to
us on the street,” she added, “with a few incidents,” such as when “they requested me to step aside, saying
why did you bring a woman?”
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Her video showed crowds of inquisitive individuals gathering around Taliban fighters,
who were on patrol all over the city after seizing control of the city without a struggle the previous day?
The true storey, she said, was about the individuals who were not visible, who were hiding inside,
and were too frightened to step out into the street.
She was dressed in an abaya, which is a full-length black robe, and a hijab, which is a headscarf, and claimed that just a week before,
she had not been required to dress in such a manner.
During a Twitter discussion with Senator Ted Cruz today, she clarified that she was referring to the picture
of her that he used to criticise CNN for “cheerleading” the Taliban.
A Taliban spokesperson today disputed allegations that agents are going door to door — and said that if
such activity is taking place, it is not being carried out by the Taliban.
“It is difficult for individuals who have lived in this nation for a long time to accept the Taliban’s word for what they have said. Afghanistan
Over the course of a decade, they have become terrified. Almost every hour, I get a phone call, text,
WhatsApp message, or tweet asking if I could please assist, please help, please help.
The sense of despair is palpable.
” According to her, Taliban leaders have signaled to her that they want to re-institute restrictions, particularly those affecting women, but only “gradually.” Afghanistan
She said that the Taliban is encouraging people not to leave the nation at this time, mostly because the
sights at the airport make them seem to be in a terrible situation. People actually hanging off the fuselage
of an aircraft in order to get off does not give out a positive message, according to the author of the article.
It’s a precarious scenario with a potentially hazardous task.
“However, for most news companies with a significant presence in the region and a bureau here, the primary worry is their local staff.”Afghanistan
When the going gets tough, I’m fairly sure that Uncle Sam will figure out a way to get me out of here, but
if I’m an Afghan, things are a lot more complicated,” she added, referring to the situation in Afghanistan.
For the past year, Ward was reporting with Afghan filmmaker Najibullah Quraishi (a citizen of the UK),Afghanistan
film producer Brent Swails and director William Bonnet.
Although President Joe Biden acknowledged that the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan was occurring
faster than anticipated in his first public address on the unfolding crisis earlier today, he remained firm in
his decision to withdraw troops and focus on the immediate -threats facing the U.S.
In my capacity as a journalist, it is not my position to provide an opinion on [US strategic choices].
Afghans, although acknowledging that the United States could not fight this war indefinitely and
recognising that [Afghans] must assume responsibility for their nation, are questioning why it had to be
done in this manner, and with such haste.
Why didn’t greater concessions from the Taliban be negotiated with them? These are the kinds of questions that are being posed.”
When Afghan troops ran short of food or ammo, she said they abandoned their posts in a large number of
instances.
While putting together one last package, Ward said that she intended to stay “up all night doing live and
wake up tomorrow and do it -all over again-“.
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source:
CNN’s Clarissa Ward On “Watching History Unfold” In Afghanistan
