Who are the 'new' Taliban?
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 26 August 2021
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The window for rescuing Afghans is rapidly closing, and for many, that will mean adjusting to life under the 'new' Taliban. Diplomatic correspondent Catherine Philp first met the Taliban 20 years ago. Today: the differences between the Taliban's claims that they've become more moderate, and their actions. Plus, we profile the leadership.
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Guest: Catherine Philp, diplomatic correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
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Transcript
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| 0:28.8 | on Sundays or mine only. Before we begin today, we have a quick update on the case of Armoured's Eye, |
| 0:38.4 | the Afghan interpreter we spoke to last week. If you miss the episode, |
| 0:44.7 | do go back and have a listen. It's one of those stories that stays with you. |
| 0:48.8 | How are things in Kabul? We cannot leave, we will get killed and no hope left, no hope left. |
| 1:05.2 | Armoured's Eye was being hunted by the Taliban, who'd sentenced tinted death for the work he'd |
| 1:10.6 | done as an interpreter for some of the most senior British officers in Afghanistan. |
| 1:16.4 | Given the dangers he faced, he was given permission to come to the UK with his family. He was |
| 1:22.1 | delighted. I got accepted, I took my kids shopping, all my kids were so happy, they bought their shoes, |
| 1:31.0 | their dresses and they packed everything. But as the Taliban reached the gates of Kabul, |
| 1:37.8 | the Home Office revoked his visa. To leave me behind in Kabul, you are just making Taliban to come |
| 1:44.3 | and kill me. They will just shoot me. And then you will say, oh, he was shot by Taliban, |
| 1:49.5 | we didn't kill him. But the fact is, you are creating the way to kill me. |
| 1:54.6 | One of the major generals, Armoured's Eye, had worked for, told us he was ashamed. |
| 1:59.7 | Good enough to fight with us. Good enough to work with us and die alongside us potentially, |
| 2:06.6 | but not good enough to come to the UK. The morning the podcast went live, |
| 2:11.4 | the Foreign Secretary Dominic Robb was asked about Armoured's Eye on Times Radio. |
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