Taleban opens up to media

By Kate Clark in Kabul
 BBC

The Taleban authorities in Afghanistan have given permission for the American TV network, CNN, and the Arabic station, Al-Jazeera, to open bureaux in Kabul.

A new Taleban openness towards the media has been evident in recent months.

The Taleban believe the new bureaux will reduce what they describe as media exaggeration and misunderstanding.

Permission for CNN and Al-Jazeera to open bureaux in Kabul came in the wake of the Indian Airlines hijack a month ago.

The Taleban suspended their own Islamic rules banning the filming of people because, they said, it was a story of global importance.

It was also a rare opportunity for them to shine on the world's stage as they brokered a peaceful end to the hijacking.

Global exposure

But even before that, they gave permission to the BBC and Reuters news agency to film ordinary life in Kabul, to show the impact of United Nations sanctions.

We were allowed to film men and women at the Post Office and the airport. It was unprecedented.

The radio station, Voice of America, was allowed to open an office here last summer joining the BBC and international news agencies.

The BBC has a huge radio audience in Afghanistan itself but CNN and Al-Jazeera will only have foreign television audiences.

The Taleban have decided to open themselves up to greater global exposure.

In the past, says the Taleban Foreign Minister, Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil, media outlets would visit Afghanistan and leave again, sometimes misunderstanding the situation.

New image

The Taleban believes the media view of them is often distorted as some journalists come to Afghanistan with preconceptions and an anti-Taleban agenda.

The Taleban have one of the worst media images in the world.

They hope having more permanent bureaux will, as they put it, lead to a more accurate portrayal of reality in Afghanistan.

Permission for CNN to come to Kabul is particularly significant as they have not enjoyed a good reputation with the Taleban in the past.

In 1997 a CNN camera crew was detained after it ignored orders and filmed inside a women's hospital.

The Taleban Foreign Minister said CNN and Al-Jazeera had been warned of the restrictions here. In general, the filming of people and animals will remain forbidden.