The State We're In, 22 January 2011. Anthony Shaffer was an American spy whose last mission was in Afghanistan. The military didn’t want him to go public with his story of institutional bloat and incompetence, but he did, in a heavily-censored book. Abdul Zaeef was one of the founders of the Taliban. He was imprisoned in Guantanámo for four years, yet still believes in its cause. Plus journalist Hermione Gee visits the "kinder", "gentler" Guantanámo Bay detentions facility.
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Operation Dark Heart
Anthony (Tony) Shaffer’s story is one that the US military machine doesn’t want you to know. Just as his book, Operation Dark Heart, was going to press, they forced large sections of it to be censored. But his story of military bloat, intelligence failures around 9/11 and in Afghanistan have been making front-page news. He tells host Jonathan Groubert about the romance and realities of being a spy.
Link - Operation Dark Heart homepage.
Read more about the censorship of Operation Dark Heart.
My Life with the Taliban
Abdul Salam Zaeef is one of the founding fathers of the Taliban. He was its ambassador to Pakistan before he was captured and sent to Guantanámo Bay (pictured above), where he was imprisoned for nearly four years. He tells Jonathan why he still believes in the movement, defends its position on women and recounts what he experienced in prison. Link - read an excerpt from Abdul Salam Zaeef’s book.
Web extra - in 2001, the Taliban destroyed the statues of the Buddhas in Bamyan, Afghanistan - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jonathan asked Zaeef to justify their actions.
You can download a transcription of the interview as a Word document here (note - transcription has been edited for time and comprehension).
Holiday in Guantanámo
When US authorities invited journalists to see Guantanámo Bay, Hermione Gee went, knowing full well that what she saw was only what they wanted her to see. Still, the trip was eye-opening. She explains why in this audio montage. Listen to an extended version of the interview here.
Read more from Hermione's blog - Holiday in Guantanámo.
For more, visit the Guantanámo Bay dossier at RNW's International Justice website.
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Hello Jonathan thanks for your response....you dont broadcast in Kenya live but i visit the TSWI site for the programme...Thank and you should sign an autograph for me!
Thanks for the kind words Kassim. As far as I know, we don't broad cast in Kenya. How do you hear us? Podcast?
Wow! i am so impressed with TSWI.I call it the way radio should be. Thank you the whole team for such a wonderful show full of untold stories.
I am a TV/Radio journalist and I have learnt so much listening to the programme. Nowadays I dont miss one show of TSWI.
All the best and belated happy new year wishes to the team.
Regards,
Kassim Mohamed
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