Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Reporting from "Talibanistan"

The Afghan war has always been a conflict where borders haven't meant the same thing to both sides. Most experts believe that Al Qaida leaders fled, along with much of the Taliban, to the rough terrain that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. As hard-core Taliban leaders live and thrive in these areas, the war has expanded into Pakistan itself.

After sitting aside for many years, the Pakistani army is now fully engaged in taking on the Taliban forces that were growing and mounting in Pakistan. In February of 2010, National Geographic documentarian Tresha Mabile traveled down IED-laced roads and accompanied Pakistani army forces to Taliban strongholds. With the cooperation of the Pakistani military, Mabile interviewed a captured Taliban soldier and spoke with Pankistani police who suffered some of the most vicious attacks in the Swat Valley.

The Nat Geo producer talks about what she saw firsthand in "Talibanistan," and the change in the Pakistani military's approach toward the Taliban.

LISTEN: TRESHA MABILE - INSIDE "TALIBANISTAN"

Monday, August 24, 2009

General Tony Zinni on the New Military Role

Anthony Zinni is maybe best known to the general public for his early criticism of the invasion of Iraq. The a former chief of CENTCOM, Zinni has had his eye on the changing face of geopolitics for a good portion of his career.

Zinni talks about how his early service in Vietnam echoes the current mission of the military in Afghanistan and why a different style of leadership is needed across political and business lines. Zinni also weighs in on the current state of Iraq with U.S. troops beginning to withdraw.

LISTEN: GENERAL TONY ZINNI