Meeting at IMS with Danish media. Photo: Lotte Dahlmann/IMS

While the 40 or so countries behind the NATO forces in Afghanistan argue amongst themselves about the wording of a news release, the Taliban will already have delivered their information by text message or You-Tube footage to the mobile phones of Afghan journalists    

The international forces in Afghanistan are far too slow in delivering vital information to journalists about civilian casualties and other crucial issues, according to two Afghan journalists, Mohammad Ilyas Dayee and Hashim Shukor, who guested Copenhagen and International Media Support earlier this week.

 In his work as a journalist, Mr. Dayee has encountered difficulties in obtaining information from the international forces and insurgents, especially where investigations following civilian deaths are concerned.

- Getting information from the coalition forces or the Afghan government is a problem. Taliban is much quicker in getting the message out via mobile phones and video clips, says Mohammad Ilyas Dayee, who works as a freelance journalist in Helmand Province.

- The coalition forces are slow to coordinate and their system is very hierarchical. When we contact the forces to confirm figures or statements provided to us by the Taliban on an event like the bombing of a village and number of casualties, we are often left waiting for hours or they don’t return our calls.  The result is that Taliban are winning the propaganda war.

However, reporting a story based on statements from the Taliban is also problematic.

- It is also a challenge for journalists to be caught with footage from the Taliban. It angers the Afghan government and the coalition forces. Or, if you have a good relationship with the coalition forces, you will have a problem with Taliban. As a journalist you want to cover all sides, says Hashim Shukor.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to work in. International Media Support has worked in Afghanistan since 2002 providing safety and conflict-sensitive journalism training for journalists. IMS has also set up a monitoring system which follows the situation of journalists around the country and acts as a warning system.  

Little trust in journalists

The war in Afghanistan is taking its toll on press freedom and access to information in the country.

People in Afghanistan do not trust journalists and it is equally difficult to get local people to tell you their stories, explains Mohammad Dayee. As a freelance journalist, Mohammad Dayee reports from the far corners of Helmand province and meets civilians who live in constant terror of being accused of siding with Taliban or the international forces due to repercussions.

- Sometimes you need to go under cover and pretend you are working for a certain Afghan TV station that they trust for them to tell you their story.

Foreign journalists are targets

According to journalist Hashim Shukor, the situation of journalists in Kabul has worsened over the last three years. Especially foreign journalists have become frequent targets of kidnappings and are unable to travel outside the city without substantial protection. He thinks that mistakes by the international forces have made work as a journalist employed by non-Afghan media more difficult. Especially the civilian casualties of the war have turned the mood of the people against the international forces, according to the two journalists.

- The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, particularly those caused by the coalition forces, angers people. Two months ago in Regi village in the Sangin district, 52 villagers were killed by a coalition forces bomb attack. When we contacted ISAF to get information, they denied the incident had taken place. Taliban, on the other hand, ensured that the press were given access to the area. Only then did ISAF release the figures.   

More about International Media Support's work in Afghanistan here.