Lyse Doucet still in Kabul

[everythingthelighttouches]

I know she regularly reports from dangerous places but am I the only person to be surprised that Lyse Doucet is still in Kabul? How on Earth will she get out? She must be a target for ISIS?

@JaniceBattersby

It’s not ridiculous. This is literally the job of foreign correspondents and has been throughout history. To report untold stories to the wider world.

Without people like Lyse the only things we’d be seeing from inside Afghanistan would be Taliban propaganda. The stories of all those normal Afghans would never be told and the true horror of what’s about to happen there would remain a secret. Reporters like Lyse and the many that have gone before her force governments to take action. They literally change lives.

100%

She is fearless and an outstanding journalist

Legend is Lyse, a fearless reporter and a proper journalist.

There are plenty of people - I mean globally and over the years- who are prepared to accept the risk of death even if probable to do something they feel they must.

They are very brave and know what they're doing.

I wouldn't assume that she's got an easy way out at all.

She's the Kate Adie of her time.

She'll get out over the boarder to Pakistan.

She's neither ridiculous nor brave.

She is an adult who makes her own decisions.

Covering this may be more important to her than the consequences.

Some people have that way of being. A reporter who spends their time in incredibly dangerous situations has that.

Just my opinion.

So so proud of her, a fellow Canadian. I have listened to her for years and marveled at her bravery and grace. She deserves her Order of Canada and of the British Empire.

@PicsInRed

Is she worth more as a bribe? Who would pay it?

The UK government has a no payment for hostages policy. I am not sure the BBC would be allowed to pay either as a state organisation.

I've been wondering this for days. I'm sure she knows what she's doing but she's very brave.

Matt Aikins (NY Times) has also stayed in Kabul twitter.com/mattaikins

I cannot imagine what it must feel like to hear the last planes fly out and the airport fall silent. Extraordinary courage, both of them.

Covering this may be more important to her than the consequences.

100% this. Still think she's brave though! I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.

So glad you started this thread everythingthelighttouches. She (and the other journalists still there, who are mostly local now) is superb and outstandingly brave.

[quote Empressofthemundane]@PicsInRed

Is she worth more as a bribe? Who would pay it?

The UK government has a no payment for hostages policy. I am not sure the BBC would be allowed to pay either as a state organisation.[/quote]
Knows people who have routes out or contacts to get her out quietly when time to go that meant. As a Western journalist it will be extra £££ to help her due to consequences if found out. IE death.

That's what was meant I'm sure not hostages.

Taleban aren't into hostages for cash anyway and nor are Isis. The taleban said would play nice but already have executed told women to stay at home banned music.

Now the planes have left all bets are off. And they aren't going to be dicking around with hostages when they have Isis to fight.

She's trusted by the Taliban and Pakistan. One of the Taliban leadership tweeted her earlier today. She'll be OK.

Don't confuse the Taliban with ISIS: the Taliban are media savvy. Just because they don't want Muslim Afghan women working doesn't mean they're going to kill a woman BBC journalist.

I think she is brave and courageous, like so many others there still.

Kiwi Charlotte Bellis, who reports for Al Jazeera, is still there too.

The taleban are tweeting? God things change? Got a link? That's just.. I had no idea the taleban bosses had Twitter accounts!

You learn something every day.

I've had a look through a load of her recent stuff can't see anything.

The taleban have learnt to try and look better to world which is I suppose understandable they don't want the spotlight on them etc.

The idea they have is bizarre. The things they did the way they ruled was because it was their core aim. That Afghanistan should be a proper Islamic country according to their beliefs.

Now they're all like yeah that was then we've done a 180?

I'll believe it when I see it. And if it's seen its because they put a few hand picked female docs etc on interviews and execute people indoors rather than in the football stadium.

The people there are fucked. The taleban are fucking awful. Isis are worse. And they're going to be fighting each other on top of everything else. Jesus.

This is just so upsetting.

She's the Kate Adie of her time.

As long as she doesn't become the Marie Colvin of her time.

I absolutely take my hat off to Doucet. Like another poster, I was so relieved to see her reporting from Dubai a week or so ago – then she popped up in Kabul a few days later.

All power to her, and may the patron saint of journalists watch over her and keep her safe. And over Wahida Faizi, the female Afghan journalist whom Doucet interviewed on the tarmac a few days ago. Please god Faizi has got somewhere safe.

NiceGerbil, you might be interested in this article about how the Taliban have been using online media to shape the information environment for years.

It's one of the reasons they were able to advance so very quickly – faster than even they seem to have expected.

The Taliban’s vast propaganda machine has a new target
www.wired.co.uk/article/taliban-propaganda-news-afghanistan#intcid

She is an amazing person. Kudos to her, and to her camera and sound people who I assume are also still with her.

In a way survival or not is not the point.

The point is she feels the need to be there. People who take these risks have a skewed view about their own mortality. They don't have the same fear of death as most people.

Explorers of really difficult areas, those who get people out at huge risk in wars/slavery/other awful situations. Spies behind the lines. And then the ordinary people who jump into the sea, rush into the burning building, walk up to the man with the knife and try to talk him down.

A particular type of person. It can't be learned I think it's a part of who you are. People who so often make a huge difference. And I suppose sometimes it's things that are not good.

And thankyou to @ PerkingFaintly for reminding me of Wahida Faizi, I heard that interview, it was heart rending, really brought home the horror and terror that ordinary people in Afghanistan have been living under.

[quote PerkingFaintly]NiceGerbil, you might be interested in this article about how the Taliban have been using online media to shape the information environment for years.

It's one of the reasons they were able to advance so very quickly – faster than even they seem to have expected.

The Taliban’s vast propaganda machine has a new target
www.wired.co.uk/article/taliban-propaganda-news-afghanistan#intcid[/quote]
It's interesting how much they have learnt. The spokesperson chap. So reassuring. So reasonable.

I'm amazed they're on Twitter though. That's so out of line with their principles. The spokesperson bloke? Anyone got a link?

I'm more amazed that anyone is buying the charm offensive. We know who they are and what they do. We know what they believe. Because they were in charge before.

A nice chappie comes on telly and says look we're fine. And everyone forgets about what happened before? Not for me.

They've already started.

But this time they have learnt.

Women have to stop going to work and stay inside **for their own protection. Because some of their people haven't been trained in how to treat women yet.
What a crap excuse. Sounds better than the reason before though.

People already been summarily executed in some regions
Ah well we are looking into that. Can't say what happened yet.

Music banned.
But they want people to choose not to listen to any thing they don't approve of.

Yes they have learnt.

French reporter Margaux Benn is also still in Kabul. She said her Afghan translator colleague was beaten by Taliban guard at a checkpoint despite having a Taliban document permitting him to do his job. It's going to be a tough job for these reporters to stay there and work but they will be doing such an important job telling the world what is happening there.

They are in enormous danger.

There's no other way about it.