Norwegian journalist gets unprecedented access to Taliban army for first time

LONDON - A Norwegian journalist has claimed that he had been granted unprecedented access to the Taliban army for the first time.

Paul Refsdal claimed that Taliban leader Commander Dawran granted him access and allowed him to film enemy soldiers while they attacked a US convoy. The Taliban leader also allowed Refsdal to film him with his two children.

The children were later allegedly killed in a US raid on the camp, The Telegraph reports.

The footage, which was broadcast on Australian news programme SBS Dateline, also shows the Taliban fighters boasting about killing 30 American soldiers with a semi-automatic rifle.

“The [US] ambush has turned into something like a daily ritual. American convoys drive past the Taliban area, sometimes they [The Taliban] hit the vehicles, sometimes they don’t,” Refsdal is quoted, as saying.

The short documentary also shows Commander Dawran talking about assassination attempts and the moment he caught a traitor who tried to kill him for a 400,000-dollar bounty, reportedly set by the US.

Commander Dawran said: “The traitor was dragged out of the car and hit with a rifle, but I stopped that as we were going to kill him.

He revealed: “We took two men out of the back of the car and put him in there dripping with sweat. When we arrived at the bridge and stopped the car, I told the boys that this was the spot. This place has some high cliffs. I said shoot him and throw him off that cliff.”

Dawran then said he changed his mind. He said: “I looked at him and half my hatred disappeared when I saw his pitiful state. We walked on. I looked again. The third time I looked at him I felt he’d done me no harm. I put my hand on his shoulder and said “Jan Pacha” in the name of Allah the Almighty who created both you and me, I forgive you in his name. Get lost.

“He couldn’t believe it.”

After Refsdal returned to Kabul, following a US attack upon the Taliban camp, another Taliban fighter “Omar” offered him an opportunity to return two weeks later.

Refsdal returned to Omar, but was kidnapped and held hostage for six days. No ransom was paid. (ANI)