Afghanistan war reporters hope for more moderate Taliban, fear return of repression following U.S. withdrawal

Afghanistan war correspondents said the country is different from the one the United States and its allies invaded  in 2001 but expressed concern about repressive Taliban rule now that it is back in control.

Following the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan had a free media, said Saad Mohseni CEO of the Moby Group, which runs Afghanistan’s first 24/7 news and television network. But he does not believe it will stay that way once the group consolidates power.

"For us this is the calm before the storm," Mohseni said at a Sept. 3 National Press Club Headliners event. "There’s little doubt that will be more restrictive, the question is how much more restrictive."

Mohseni joined three other reporters who have many years of combined experience covering what’s been called “the forever war” to share their insights, memories and thoughts on the uncertain future of Afghanistan and its press corps in a conversation with Club President Lisa Nicole Matthews.

They convened a little more than a week before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that instigated the war and a few days after the U.S. pullout.

Afghanistan has added 17 million people since the beginning of the conflict -- and two-thirds of its population of 38 million are under 21 and have never experienced Taliban rule, Mohseni said.

The correspondents are hopeful that the Taliban will be more moderate than in the past due to the societal change experience following the U.S. invasion and the new rulers’ desire for international recognition and economic growth.

“I’m not sure that they’ll be able to impose themselves on us the way they did before, and I don’t think they’ll let them,” said Kathy Gannon, who covers the region for the Associated Press.

Afghans want enduring friendship from the United States and its NATO allies, said Atia Abawi, international affairs analyst with NBC, who fears that Afghanistan will soon be forgotten by the West and its media. 

“When you hear the word betrayal that’s what they mean,” she said, adding “there’s a misperception that they wanted us to stay for fighting purposes.”

But even the Taliban are unsure what their policies will be.

“The Taliban have a struggle within themselves at the moment,” Abawi said, before recounting a story about a woman who was told by the Taliban to continue leading her non-governmental organization.

“She said she was shaking the first day but she went into her office, the second day when she went in she was fine, and then third day, someone else came in and said ‘You no longer work here. Thank you for your efforts. I’m in charge now,’” Abawi said. Then the woman’s contact in the Taliban offered to send her protection so she could continue working, but he has since gone silent. 

Dangers of reporting from Afghanistan

Two decades after removing the Taliban-led government from power, the United States relied on the Islamic group to secure Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport so it could withdraw from the country despite a deadly suicide bombing near one of the mains gates that killed about 185 people, including 13 American soldiers.

The reporters described the dangers of reporting from Afghanistan, including the loss of colleagues.

“We were told everything’s ok when we took small arms fire, and we didn’t realize our friends had been killed until they pulled into the Afghan outpost with a truck, so that stays with me,” said Tom Bowman, Pentagon reporter for National Public Radio, referring to the death of two photographers, David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tamanna.

“A lot of people think it wasn’t worth it. Or we did too much, or threw so much money around it led to corruption,” Bowman said, referring to the just-completed 20-year war.

The reporters agreed that with the reemergence of the Taliban, the world will have to rely on the Afghan media outlets like the Moby Group’s TOLONews for information about the country.

“We’re concerned about the safety of our people, but we have to give this a go,” Mohseni said.

He helped 120 employees flee Afghanistan after the fall of the Ashraf Ghani-led government, but is also inspired by the many colleagues who decided to continue reporting remain in the country. 

“There are no safety nets in Afghanistan. None. Unlike the pre-August 15th period,” Mohseni said. “But they continue. This is courage."