Documentary: Afghanistan – The Unknown Country (part 1/5)

Posted by on Jun 6, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

This is a country that is known war for 30 years. That may be how you know Afghanistan. I have been coming here for much of that time and there is another country too. Everyone who matters seems to have gone through here, Emperors, explorers, conquerors just a curious. To see something about this country and its people that captures the imagination and interest. I would say no one comes to Afghanistan once. I am on a journey through a launch, “I have grown to love a place that continues to amaze.” I would not have expected the head of the Islamic shrine to be riding it was special horse. You never know who you meet. I am going on a journey to take you beyond the headlines. My journey begins in the far north of Afghanistan, bustling city of Mazar-i-sharif. It is the day before the first day of scream. The first day of the New Year now rules. Afghans travel from across the country to be here to celebrate this Ancient Persian tradition. The Taliban bands now rules this un-Islamic but it is a very Afghan time one of the most festive, holiday’s securities types. You have to admire their courage people bringing their families here driving for hours to reach shamishadi. You know but the threats them, the security but they lived in a country which has been at war for some 30 years. So they get used to it and they get on with life. They wanted to change but not to let it get in the way a good celebration. And what better way to celebrate the New Year and with one of them much love traditions of the north, Wishkashing that means goat crappy, it is Afghanistan’s oldest sports its national game. Two teams fight over the caucus’s headless goat, they have to grab it Gallup free everyone else and drop it in the tops circled. I found myself sitting next to Paparakmurosay a young economist. Wishkashing has a wide range offense. Bushkashi use to have 100 of rider’s no teams, no written rules. It is a bit more organized now, but some still called it the world’s...

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Afghanistan Geography, History, Culture and Religion

Posted by on Jun 5, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

The Khyber Pass on the northwest frontiers of the Indian subcontinent, linking Pakistan with remote Afghanistan. To drive north through the southern mountains is to journey backward in time to an isolated nation which has consistently ignored the approach to a 20th century world. But this year event the caught up with and never taken of few Afghanistan. Traditionally a buffer state standing alone between major powers it has suddenly court world attention. New men have seized control men who appear willing to reactivate ancient grievances and to assist the ambitions of powerful friends. In this edition Echo looks at a tiny nation engulfed in big issues Afghanistan. For centuries the Tom tribes have Afghanistan have lived by their own rules. Here a man carries a gun with a badge of honor and most use them with deadly accuracy. Here, even today tribal chiefs rule with absolute authority tolerate no interference even from the state. Armed with independent spirited they’ve never compromise with farmers. The British came here and stayed long enough to fortify such ragged borders as could be established. But they retreated leaving little more than a few rusting relics. Islam and one of its more straight-laced forms is the national religion. The power religious authority remains a conservative force regardless of who rules in Kabul the capital. And the streets of the capital illustrate this nation’s problems, principally that poverty. The average annual income in this country is less than seventy-five dollars. The illiteracy rate is 90% slavery was officially abolished only in 1947. And now there had been a revolution, King Shahi Asha was ousted and his cousin Muhammad Dowd decreed Afghanistan a republic king went into exile. The new regime has the backing up Afghanistan’s small but powerful army. And that in turn is supplied and equipped by the Soviet Union. The troops of Afghan but the heavy weapons, tanks, advisers, ammunition field come from the Red Army. It was president Dowd Prime Minister until 1963 who first encouraged Russian assistance. And Moscow did not hesitate to take advantage at the invitation. They poured in aid that military and civil they built this enormous power plant on the Kabul...

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The Real Face of Afghanistan

Posted by on May 22, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

This report includes graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised. The face of Taliban justice, this is nineteen-year-old Bibi Aisha share her own husband cut off her nose and ears, forced into marriage at sixteen she ran away from a life of abuse but was caught. After trial by the Taliban for bringing shame to the family this was the punishment, her husband carried it out and left her to die on a mountainside in Oruzgan province. When they cut off my nose and ears I passed out, Aisha says in the middle of the night it felt like there was cold water in my nose I open my eyes and I couldn’t even see because up all the blood, she barely survived but thanks to an American Provincial Reconstruction Team and this women’s shelter in Kabul she’s now getting help and protection. Esther Hyneman said, Bibi Aisha is only one example of thousands a girls and women in Afghanistan and throughout the world who are treated this way who suffer abuses like this like this and worse, in 2001 the situation of Afghan women and hold on brutality received plenty of attention. Now organizations like women for Afghan women say the international community is strangely silent on the issue, the United States alone has provided a hundred and fifty million dollars for programs for Afghan women in the last two years. But United Nations officials here estimate that ninety percent of women suffer from domestic violence, and they have very few places to turn to. Atia Abawi said, This is one of the very few shelters in Afghanistan that help Afghan women, and it can only help I handful out the tens of thousands who suffer from abuse, and there are only about 8 refuges like this that can help women like Bibi Aisha seeking sanctuary from cruelty. Women for Afghan woman has helped nearly 14 hundred victims in the past few years, but that’s still not enough it says ignoring women’s rights plays into the hands at the insurgency. When you have a population fifty percent of the population on their knees, it is very easy for extremists tyrants to take over our...

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Cultural Support Teams in Afghanistan

Posted by on May 21, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

In January the pentagon officially lifted the ban on women serving in combat, but in Afghanistan some American women have been on the front lines for years. They are part of a so-called cultural support team are Elizabeth Palmer was given unprecedented access, it is just after breakfast and Captain Titania blank is opening up for business. Her first customers an afghan family from the neighboring village, state and the baby with nasty diaper rash. He of course has no idea he’s on go gorak US military base, and the medical staff are doctors but pioneering American women soldiers. Basically all they need to use is this powder here, captain blank and Sgt. Eve Arazia are two members have an all-female team attached to mail special forces units at various bases in Afghanistan. The idea to connect with fifty percent of the population the male soldiers never saw, it was great to see you again before we got here they had absolutely no access to women whatsoever you know it’s a very conservative environment and they were then combined to you their home. Calleth a gender-specific hearts and minds campaign, Afghan women do come to visit get small gift and this is a valuable part talk. A young mother drop seen for example to report to Taliban bombs found in a nearby fields. This is major win record once a senior Air Force gunner, she’s now in charge of the female teams attached to Special Forces. Afghanistan women in shoulder and warning enngage it all, and we were missing out on one a huge opportunity to gather the information that was needed to accomplish the mission. Because they know a lot, they were just never asked they do. Quite a bit but perhaps the most dangerous work for these female soldiers is at night on strike force raids to capture Taliban militants, in this video given to us by the military you can see them reassuring Afghan women and children. Hearing the voice, it did it’s amazing how quickly things calm down just taking the women and children in taking them to a mosque or someplace else that’s away from the situation allows the...

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A Culture of War

Posted by on May 20, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

In 1893 representative at the British Empire and the Emir of Afghanistan drew a line on a map and see than agreements for only one hundred years, today the Durand Line lives on as the border between two countries Afghanistan and Pakistan. A border still disputed by the 12 Pashtun tribes living in the region in 2004 Raza traveled into the heart of after pack struggling Afghanistan and Pakistan with the mainly Pashtun inhabitants cross the forbidden border on a daily basis, in the villages Donna officially located in Pakistan he meets a tribal weapon craftsman the Afridi. Entering this impenetrable fortress course utmost discretion so for the time being Reza, becomes a patch to the route is hazardous riddled with dangers out fix this car came under fire it’s a risk the comes with the job. There were two young men with ak-47 and did jumped from a sugar cane field onto the road, and the they wanted us to stop and I told my driver circle up to stop because I told there was going to kill us inspector cut and he said no I won’t stop any speed away and he was bare who drive. In dialogue between Peshawar & Co hot the ethnically Pashtun Afridi tribes perpetuates the onto weaponry from father to son, the metal for weapons comes from the shipyard in Kochi houses in makeshift workshops crowd the courtyard behind the main route. In this workshop photos of bin Laden hang on the walls as it to testify to a lingering sympathy for the man some consider to be a saint battling Satan, still not all inhabitants have this village on members of the Taliban al Qaeda in Darra workers follow a precise procedure to produce sophisticated reliable weapon replicas. This activity shapes all aspects have life in this market town, boys attend school halftime and the purest go to work at the workshops. These children are learning the fester and question all job here, They are small cares property poor people belong family so his family work so you know, they show this business. I’m just the name his city car as a court agency near to...

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Marines Get Crash Course in Afghan Culture

Posted by on May 17, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

LULU GWEN IFILL: Next, another in our occasional reports from journalism students around the country — tonight: giving U.S. forces a crash course in Afghan culture. At today’s White House news conference, President Obama said the furor over the Quran burning incident last month showed the challenges for allied troops in Afghanistan. Dealing with those challenges and gaining a better understanding of cultural differences is the aim of a program based in the remote desert of Southern California. Our report, prepared before the Quran burning, is from Carl Nasman. He’s a graduate student in the journalism school at the University of California, Berkeley. CARL NASMAN, University of California, Berkeley: It looks and sounds like a typical Afghan village. But these Marines are nowhere near Afghanistan. They’re patrolling a multimillion-dollar recreation. Lance Corporal Derek Hicks is one of the Marines on patrol. LANCE CPL. DEREK HICKS, U.S. Marine Corps: This is basically typical of a lot of villages in Afghanistan. We were deployed there last year. And there were a few towns that were similar to this that we were patrolling through. So it’s very realistic. CARL NASMAN: The mock Afghan village is at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base outside of San Diego. Even from my vantage point above the action, the scene below seems real. The training facility is less than 2 years old. It’s one of three mock villages on Marine Corps bases across the country. Hundreds of Marines pass through here every week before deploying to Afghanistan. One of them is Sgt. Christopher Roberts. SGT. CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS, U.S. Marine Corps: The first time you go on a patrol, you’re going to be kind of just overwhelmed with all of the culture, the scenery, trying to figure out what’s going on, how to deal with these people. If you don’t get something like this, you’re doing it for the first time in Afghanistan. That’s not a good day. CARL NASMAN: Marines here learn more than just combat. They’re taking a crash course in Afghan culture. SGT. CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS: We get all kinds of cultural awareness training. And it definitely plays a huge factor. You might want to like wave at somebody or...

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Cultural diversity the goal for Afghan women

Posted by on May 16, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

We’re about to hear the Ethiopian national anthem here in Copley Square. The music is blasting the crowds are probably 15-20 did, on the side the streets closest to Newbury Street as we watch our men’s winner rise the last 385 yards against a backdrop a Boston strong sign in one of our businesses, businesses so profoundly affected 2013 community rallying around them and around this event today. This signature event in the city again and not a speed day with this very crisp headwind out these when you can see the American flags just fluttering start out coming right back in the face of the runners 2008 31 on the clock and county. He had the hills beautifully I saw him commented running of unicamp 50K very very helicourse and had them so well now how waste to crowded there. you know he has a betting favorite and a good reason to the two beddings favorites the money new were there except the routine she was on the line. And what a beautiful view now as he closes in the final yard to the Boston Marathon finished the least it is with the sprint to the finish he will win the 2015 Boston Marathon Ethiopian the least of the season breaks the take. beautiful effort. He knows what it’s like to wear the number one and wear again he returns to Boston next year because running in this race and honor Boston he says the most historic race in our...

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