Afghan Patriots - Living with the Taliban (Video)

[AdamG]

Interesting perspective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwvzDIr8zzE

Mod's Note: nine minutes

[davidbfpo]

Adam G,

I did post the C4 story accompanying the film two weeks ago, so thanks for locating the working footage and this is the accompanying text:http://www.channel4.com/news/article...ntline/3734447

A good piece of reporting IMHO, although from my armchair I thought the daily long distance ambush of a road indicated a weakness, not a strength.

[Fuchs]

Taliban Primp, Sing, Snipe U.S. Troops In Rare Video

(It's incredible that they survived for so long with their predictability and radio chatter.)

Mod's note: film is twenty one minutes long

[Tukhachevskii]

comes from Paul Refsdal, a Norwegian documentary journalist who embedded with a Taliban commander named Dawran

I'm sorry, but does this sound like collaboration to anyone else (of the bad kind)? What would the difference had been if a BBC correspondant had been embedded with the NAZI's while they killed Allied troops? I really don't get the kind of mentality that thinks this is ok. Maybe its just me

[Chris jM]

I'm sorry, but does this sound like collaboration to anyone else (of the bad kind)? What would the difference had been if a BBC correspondant had been embedded with the NAZI's while they killed Allied troops? I really don't get the kind of mentality that thinks this is ok. Maybe its just me

I'd suggest that the information value to be gained from watching his report would clearly outweigh any accusations of collaboration.

Understanding an enemy is important. Having journalists report on them allows that. The last thing we want to do is to treat them as either invincible or as being inhuman, and this kind of coverage does exactly the opposite. However don't expect me to travel with them - that kind of reporting takes more courage than I'd be able to muster!

Agreed, Fuchs. Their predictability (firing HMGs from established positions) and radio chatter amazed me. Looking at the footage it's staggering to see the impunity with which that group of Tb were acting. The fact that they were not employing IEDs makes me think this in an unusual situation, with most Tb activities involving a far greater degree of risk. Regardless some very, very valuable food for thought.

[davidbfpo]

Gents,

I have merged the last three posts to an earlier thread. Note the film clip originally was nine minutes and that found by Fuchs is twenty one minutes long. So I will watch it another time.

[Tukhachevskii]

Dawran survived but two of his children were killed

...means what exactly? Without context all that video does is provide valuable propaganda and publicity for a wanabee Taliban warlord or someone who ewants his deeds to to be recgnised so that he might sit at the grown-iups table. I (humbly) submit that there is nothing in that video that isn't already known by Allied forces in theatre. Imagine joe blogs sitting at home watching that, his interpretation is going to differ vastly to that of yours. His interpretative blanks will be filled in with whatever existing narratives he prefers. A Lefty, for instance will interpret the film completely differently to, say, an Amazonian tribeman. Or, indeed, for that matter a young muslim (much betetr to show them the aftermath, then again, wouldn't do much good, just inflame their already monumental inferiority/rage/envy complex).

Now replace Dawran with...Himmler, now what do you feel.

Sigfreid Krakauar (sp?) was an early film critic and theorist who advocated the kind of "realism" this film purports to exhibit (i.e., that the camera would strip away human interpretive bias based upon physciology or neruologicial pre-propraggimg/culture) and which was effectively blown out of the water by just about every one else (my favourite was always Christain Metz).. That later word is important. The work is like an exhibit, it provides the semblance of versimmilitude but we forget the subjective decisions that go into its production (i.e., editing). For insatcne, what's up with the geezer staring into the camera with his kohl lined eyes looking like some kind of reject form an 80's electro band? (@ 14.58 approx).

[JMA]

I'm sorry, but does this sound like collaboration to anyone else (of the bad kind)? What would the difference had been if a BBC correspondant had been embedded with the NAZI's while they killed Allied troops? I really don't get the kind of mentality that thinks this is ok. Maybe its just me

If you are looking for a collaborator look no further than the decision maker on not to destroy the Afghan poppy cultivation. This video journalist Paul Refsdal is small cheese by comparison.