| I usually like Kathy Gannon's reporting... |
 PESHAWAR: Several countries are responsible for the promotion of terrorism and militancy in the region, said Kathy Gannon, a journalist of Canadian origin who has served in the region for around 18 years, along with acting as bureau chief of the Associated Press in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "During the mid 1980's, several countries spread the concept of jihad and promoted the possession of arms among generations of Afghan refugees," said Kathy Gannon while taking to journalists at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday.
| Either she doesn't say which ones, or they're not reported by the Daily Times. At the time, that was us, and the Soddies, and the Paks. The mid-80s were the heyday of the anti-Soviet jihad. The Afghans are perfectly capable of differentiating between the muj who fought the Soviets and the what happened in the aftermath of the Sovs pulling out. There were actually three different flavors of jihad being promoted: the jihad against the Russers, by us; the jihad against the infidels, by the Soddies; and the jihad for the main chance, by the Paks. We wanted to contain Soviet expansionism, and there was a lot of sympathy for the Afghans in general and the muj — specifically Masood — in particular. I don't think at that time the Learned Elders of Islam back in Riyadh and Mecca had come to the conclusion that they were going to take over the world. And the Paks were both nervous about the joys of Communism being introduced into Pashtunistan and, as long as it was on the American and Soddy nickle, willing to continue their efforts at Great Gaming and the quest for Strategic Depth™. |
She also disagreed with the claim that journalists were also responsible for destroying Afghanistan. Journalists, she said, were not involved in policy-making. Rahim Ullah Yousafzai highlighted Gannon's association with Pakistan and Afghanistan and accredited her as "an aggressive, but objective and impartial reporter". Gannon, who has received several awards in journalism, has recently written a book, 'I is for Infidel, From Holy War to Holy Terror', in which she describes her experiences in Afghanistan. |