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| India-Pakistan |
| PBS Frontline - Return of the Taliban |
| 2006-10-03 |
| NY Times Review President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney probably do not watch many PBS “Frontline” documentaries about Iraq and Afghanistan, and for the sake of their blood pressure, it’s probably just as well. Nothing could be more maddening that the slow, methodical drip, drip, drip of unflattering image and fact — especially when framed by the grave, reproachful voice-over of Will Lyman, a longtime narrator on “Frontline.” “Return of the Taliban,” on PBS tonight, examines why the United States appears to be losing ground against Al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. It gives two stark reasons: the Jihadists’ single-minded determination to expel foreign troops and Pakistan’s ambivalence about rooting out Taliban strongholds along its border. The documentary asserts, almost offhandedly, that the war in Iraq has diverted American attention and resources from Afghanistan. In one scene, Mr. Bush and President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan are shown sitting together in the White House in 2004, announcing their joint commitment to hunt down Osama bin Laden and his followers. “But by now the administration was preoccupied with Iraq,” the narrator says sonorously. “The hunt for Al Qaeda was left to Pakistan.” The documentary comes on the heels of Mr. Musharraf’s latest visit to the United States, a tour to promote his autobiography that included a good-humored appearance on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. ” Mr. Stewart offered his guest tea and bluntly asked, “Where is Osama bin Laden?” Mr. Musharraf waggishly said he didn’t know, and the audience laughed along. “Return of the Taliban” sets out to demonstrate that actually, Pakistani officials know more than they are letting on, and are not particularly eager to help American forces find out. Mr. Musharraf portrays his country as the mouse that caved, a small, vulnerable nation bullied by the United States after 9/11 to cooperate, but hampered by religious and political pressures that outsiders never seem to fully appreciate. According to the filmmakers, however, there is nothing soft and helpless about the way the Musharraf administration handles Pakistani reporters. The documentary points the finger at the government for the murder in Hayatullah Khan, a Pakistani journalist who worked with PBS and whose reporting on a 2005 missile attack on a Qaeda operative embarrassed the Musharraf government. (The Pakistan army said that American forces had nothing to do with the attack; Mr. Khan published pictures of missile fragments covered with United States military markings.) Soon after, Mr. Khan disappeared, and last June his corpse was found, riddled with bullets and hands bound with government-issue handcuffs, in North Waziristan, a tribal region on the Afghan border. Mr. Musharraf denied knowing anything about Mr. Khan or his disappearance in an interview with the “Frontline” reporter Martin Smith, but said his government was not behind it. Pakistan appears not to be as ruthless about stamping out Taliban forces in its territory. It’s not hard to see why: almost every time Pakistani forces attack the Taliban or Al Qaeda sympathizers, crowds take to the streets, egged on by religious leaders. But the documentary examines how the government’s peace deals with tribal warlords give Al Qaeda leaders free passage for attacks and suicide bombings against coalition forces in Afghanistan. The documentary concludes by not drawing conclusions about General Musharraf. “Some officials advocate getting tougher, cut off military aid,” the narrator says. “Others argue that America can do no more. That Musharraf is, in an imperfect world, the best and only choice.” The film is of small comfort to Mr. Bush, who on the eve of midterm elections is trying to deflect criticism raised in Bob Woodward’s latest book about the Iraq war, “State of Denial.” Its timing doesn’t help, either. “Return of the Taliban” is scheduled to be shown on PBS stations just two days after a new video surfaced showing Mohamed Atta and Ziad al-Jarrah, two of the 9/11 hijackers, relaxed and joking in what seems to be a valedictory message taped more than a year before the attacks on American soil. Any video farewell recorded by a suicide bomber is chilling. What is most striking about this one is how middle-class, normal and confident the two men seem — they are willing and eager suicide bombers, not brainwashed zombies. The “Frontline” documentary, like the hijackers’ last video and testament, is a disquieting reminder of what the world is up against when taking on a Muslim holy war. |
| Posted by:john |
| #10 With respect to Musharraf, the US can certainly topple him by cutting off aid. Maybe the Pakistanis will install Osama in his place or a near equivalent. I don't know that have the kooks control all of Pakistan is to our advantage but we will see regardless. Musharraf is a dead man walking and the kooks will eventually kill him unless he flees. With respect to the flick, I'm sure the producers want to encourage American citizens to question the effectiveness of GOP leadership. Instead Americans will become even more nervous about putting guys like Feinstein in charge. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2006-10-03 23:24 |
| #9 To play a significant role in Afghanistan, you must have access from the south, Only Pakistan or Iran allows this access. Musharaf may be an SOB, but its hard to imagine a better option. Lose Musharaf and I pretty much guarantee you lose Afghanistan. As my mother used to say, "Things are not good or bad. They are merely better or worse than the alternatives." |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-10-03 20:10 |
| #8 Frontline produces some of the best documentary work on television, bar none. Did any of you bother to read the main points of the article? “Return of the Taliban” sets out to demonstrate that actually, Pakistani officials know more than they are letting on, and are not particularly eager to help American forces find out. According to the filmmakers, however, there is nothing soft and helpless about the way the Musharraf administration handles Pakistani reporters. The documentary points the finger at the government for the murder in Hayatullah Khan, a Pakistani journalist who worked with PBS and whose reporting on a 2005 missile attack on a Qaeda operative embarrassed the Musharraf government. (The Pakistan army said that American forces had nothing to do with the attack; Mr. Khan published pictures of missile fragments covered with United States military markings.) Soon after, Mr. Khan disappeared, and last June his corpse was found, riddled with bullets and hands bound with government-issue handcuffs, in North Waziristan, a tribal region on the Afghan border. These are important points that the American public needs to know about. They may well help our nation begin to adopt more rational policy in how we deal with such treacherous regimes as Musharraf's Pakistan. The point that Iraq may have diverted needed American military strength away from properly defeating the Taleban is a valid one. It certainly deserves to be addressed in any reasonable examination of the Afghan conflict. To not have done so would have been a journalistic error. Too bad my television is still off after some five years now. Frontline is one of the few shows I really miss. It typically provides unflinching and highly accurate information. If any of you have seen their superb documentary on Jesus Christ ("From Jesus to Christ - The First Christians"), you would know what I mean. I suggest that all of you try and put aside your normally justifiable disgust with PBS and watch the show. While PBS too often has a noticably liberal slant, I defy any of you to say that Masterpiece Theater doesn't put the vast majority of existing commercial network television broadcasting to complete and total shame. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-10-03 19:45 |
| #7 Frist is not presidential timber, more like plywood or cedar with knots |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-10-03 19:34 |
| #6 Not that it's really anything new, but... Challenged on Fox, Frist corrected / clarified (he is on his way back from Afghanistan) that he said we should be talking to the tribal leaders and bringing them around to our side. Revolutionary idea, no? Lol. Dunno if he was misquoted / assassinated or if he's that confused. Prolly both, in that mangled interview sort of way. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-10-03 19:12 |
| #5 Well hell...I just read that Frist, touring in Romania, has just called for bringing the Taliban into a more transparent Afghan govt. ... like they'd just all of a sudden make nice. With idiots like this in charge we're lost. I'm relocating to the Sierra Nevada, and if anyone visits, approach slowly Hint: bringing beer is a clear statement of one's intent. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2006-10-03 19:02 |
| #4 Oh for phuechs sake! Bugger Woodward, his bomber jacket, baseball cap and shades, and his club of treasonous, leaking, current and former OGA operations and wannabe types. The "drip, drip, drip" SHOULD be coming from execution post where the cold bodies of these treasonous reporters and kak writers should be slumped. Whores and worthless communist bastards. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-10-03 17:26 |
| #3 WGBH, the Boston PBS station, is building a nice new studio over in Brighton. I hear it's a friggin palace... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-10-03 17:17 |
| #2 remind me again why we taxpayers pay for this domestic propaganda, but can't get Voice of America accurate media funding? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-10-03 17:14 |
| #1 How 'bout the steady drip drip drip of unadulterated BS? sheesh |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2006-10-03 16:59 |