Video shows Afghan anchorman read news surrounded by armed Taliban
An Afghan anchorman was caught in the unenviable position of reading the news while surrounded by armed Taliban fighters — as he told his viewers to “not be afraid.”
The nervous-looking presenter of Afghan TV’s Peace Studio political debate show is seen talking while two extremists glare from behind, and six others surround them after they apparently stormed the studio, according to Unilad.
“This is what a political debate now looks like on Afghan TV, Taliban foot soldiers watching over the host,” the BBC’s Yalda Hakim said in a tweet.
“The presenter talks about the collapse of the Ghani govt & says the Islamic Emirate says the Afghan people should not to be afraid,” she added about the Sunday broadcast.
Kian Sharifi, another BBC journalist, also shared the chilling footage.
“With armed Taliban fighters standing behind him, the presenter of Afghan TV’s Peace Studio political debate programme says the Islamic Emirate (Taliban’s preferred name) wants the public to ‘cooperate with it and should not be afraid,’” Sharifi tweeted.
![The TV host told the public they should "cooperate with [the Taliban] and should not be afraid."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/taliban-tv-20.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024)
“The programme is called Pardaz. In this longer video, the presenter interviews a Taliban fighter who presumably outranks the rest of the lot in the studio. The presenter switches from Dari to Pashto, which unfortunately I don’t speak,” he added.
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad called on President Biden to watch the clip and “let us know if these militants posing behind this visibly petrified TV host are holding American weapons.”
She wrote: “This is surreal. Taliban militants are posing behind this visibly petrified TV host with guns and making him to say that people of #Afghanistan shouldn’t be scared of the Islamic Emirate.
“Taliban itself is synonymous with fear in the minds of millions. This is just another proof,” Alinejad added.
The hostage-style video emerged as the Taliban have been trying to sell a softer image in a propaganda campaign after the Islamic militant group’s last repressive rule some 20 years ago.
