Terrified Afghan TV news presenter reads out the headlines while surrounded by gun-toting Taliban thugs
- The 42-second clip shows anchor read headlines surrounded by armed militants
- Footage shows a total of eight men on TV studio’s set all armed with assault rifles
- Reports suggest group stormed building and urged anchor to debate with them
- Anchor reportedly urges people ‘not to be afraid’ and to ‘co-operate with group’
This is the shocking moment an Afghan TV news presenter reads out the headlines while surrounded by armed Taliban thugs.
The clip was shared online by the TV studio after the militants stormed the building and demanded the news anchor praise the Taliban.
BBC’s Yalda Hakim tweeted a video clip of the news report on Sunday afternoon and wrote: ‘Afghanistan TV – surreal.
‘This is what a political debate now looks like on Afghan TV, Taliban foot soldiers watching over the host.
This is the shocking moment an Afghan TV news presenter reads out the headlines while surrounded by armed Taliban thugs after they reportedly stormed a studio in Kabul on Sunday
‘The presenter talks about the collapse of the Ghani govt & says the Islamic Emirate says the Afghan people should not to be afraid #Afghanistan.’
In the 42-second clip, which has since been viewed more than 1million times, the news anchor is surrounded by eight armed men who appear to be guarding him as he reads.
It has been reported they stormed the building on Sunday and demanded the presenter speak with them.
According to WIO News, the news anchor carried out a debate with the militants while on air.
The news outlet reports that the presenter spoke about the collapse of the Government in Afghanistan and urged the Afghan people not to be afraid.
During the show, called Pardaz, the anchor also reportedly told people to co-operate with the group.
The news anchor is surrounded by 8 armed men who appear to be guarding him as he reads
Reports suggest the presenter urges people to not be afraid of the group and to co-operate before he reportedly interviewed members of the armed group (pictured) while on air
The video was filmed as US armed forces said they had carried out a successful drone strike mission which prevented a second terrorist attack at Kabul airport.
Sharing footage from inside the newsroom, Zaki Daryabi – the Publisher of Etilaatroz and KabulNow – took to Twitter to say: ‘This is what @Etilaatroz can’t accept.
‘If so, we will stop our work.’
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad retweeted the video and wrote: ‘This is surreal.
‘Taliban militants are posing behind this visibly petrified TV host with guns and making him to say that people of #Afghanistan shouldn’t be scared of the Islamic Emirate.
‘Taliban itself is synonymous with fear in the minds of millions. This is just another proof.’
Hours before the clip was shared, US President Joe Biden had warned an attack in Kabul could be imminent before the drone strike which destroyed explosives the US said were for use in a second attack.
Last week, an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated a device outside the airport, leaving 13 American troops and at least 170 dead.