Four Corners: May 9

Next week Four Corners, has the story of an Al Qaeda fighting unit in Afghanistan told from the inside.

“Following bin Laden” features a story by Najibullah Quraishi. He is the Afghan journalist who eighteen months ago told the world what it was like to live with the Taliban in Afghanistan in “Behind Enemy Lines.”

In the weeks before the death of Osama bin Laden senior US officials claimed that Al Qaeda in Afghanistan had been all but eliminated. Now a courageous Afghan journalist embeds himself with a unit of fighters swearing allegiance to Osama bin Laden. While spending time with them he tries to see if Al Qaeda is making a comeback to the battlefield, how many fighters there are and who is supplying them with weapons and equipment.

His name is Najibullah Quraishi. He is the journalist who eighteen months ago told the world what it was like to live with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The documentary was called, Behind Enemy Lines. Back in the capital of Afghanistan Quraishi began to hear rumours that Al Qaeda fighters were moving back into the country preparing for what might be called “the fighting season”. If this is true it will be information that would be of great concern to the West. Having made inquiries Quraishi is told by a source that it might be possible to film behind enemy lines with a band of Al Qaeda fighters.

Clearly this is a dangerous operation but after much negotiation and many days of travel he is allowed to meet and travel with a group of men who say they have allegiance to Osama bin Laden. As Quraishi spends time with them he discovers where they come from and why they are fighting. He is also able to examine their weapons and transport machinery to get some idea who is supplying them. One important question he tries to answer is: how many of these fighters are there in the central region of Afghanistan where he has been taken?

As his time with the men of Al Qaeda passes we see why they are able to gain acceptance from the population. Locals tell the men pledging allegiance to bin Laden that local government officials are corrupt. They claim their sheep are stolen from them. The Al Qaeda men are sympathetic. As a result the locals pay taxes to them and feed the men who are sworn enemies of the Afghanistan Government. In effect these men are providing an alternative form of government; taking money from the locals but also promising to offer them protection.

Not everyone though is treated well by the fighters Quraishi travels with. One day they capture a man they claim is a spy and the result is a reality check for Quraishi. He films the man being taken away, then he is told to put down the camera. In a terrible moment he is told the traitor will be dealt with according to Sharia law. It is explained he will be be-headed. Then after the sound of a gunshot Quraishi is told he cannot film but he can see the body of the alleged traitor. It becomes clear he is on a terrible tightrope. For now he is a welcome guest; tomorrow he too might be branded a traitor. He has a fateful choice: should he stay or should he go?

“Following bin Laden” airs 9th May at 8.30 pm on ABC 1.