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Afghanistan: female anchor flees country after interview with Taliban leader

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 30 Aug 2021, 06:25 am Print

Afghanistan: female anchor flees country after interview with Taliban leader

Image: Xinhua/UNI

Moscow/UNI/SPUTNIK: Beheshta Arghand, a female Afghan TOLOnews anchor, fled the country after an interview with a Taliban leader, CNN reported on Monday.

In mid-August Arghand interviewed Mawlawi Abdulhaq Hemad, a high-ranking Taliban representative, which garnered headlines around the world, as it was the first time in Afghanistan's history that a Taliban member appeared live on TV sitting next to a female presenter.

The journalist confirmed to CNN that she had left Afghanistan for fear of the Taliban. Arghand added that she would return if the security situation in the country improved.

While the Taliban promised to allow news media to operate freely, the journalist community fears for its safety, expressing the gravest concerns about female reporters in the country.