Four Corners: June 7

ABC has now confirmed tomorrow’s Four Corners episode after reports a planned episode would undergo further editorial.

This is a ‘buy-in’ doco Ghosts of Afghanistan from Gala Films as former war correspondent Graeme Smith returns to Afghanistan.

“Powerful armies invaded this country with slogans about peace, democracy, women’s rights. It was a disaster. Now the foreign troops are withdrawing… I want to see if there is hope for peace.” Graeme Smith, former war correspondent

In April, US President Joe Biden declared that all remaining US troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan. He gave a deadline of September 11, a symbolic date and a powerful reminder of the events that sent America, along with her allies, into a long and brutal war.

“On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against Al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The name of today’s military operation is Enduring Freedom. US President, George W Bush, 2001

Twenty years on from the 9/11 terror attacks, one war correspondent returns to Afghanistan to try and make sense of the conflict.

“I’m heartbroken about the way things went in Afghanistan… Why would I come back to a place that gave me nightmares?” Graeme Smith, former war correspondent

Canadian Graeme Smith travels back through the cities and provinces where he witnessed the intense conflict with the Taliban forces and explains what it was like to have a bird’s eye view of history in the making.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into… It wasn’t unusual to hear people saying, ‘Oh this is like the opening scene in Star Wars, you know with all of the crazy characters walking around.’”

His reporting captured the brutality of the battles as well as dark and troubling incidents that cast a shadow over the mission in Afghanistan.

“Terrible things happened to these prisoners when they were being interrogated. This shook me because it wasn’t an accident of war. It was deliberate. It was a part of the design of the war.”

Now he wants to see how life has changed for the Afghan people and if they feel confident that Afghanistan can find peace.

“I’m still here. I’m still surviving. It’s definitely hard. It’s very risky here to help all these women get education, especially modern education, to go out and work, to be self-sustained, to be independent. This is something unacceptable for extremists.” School principal

From school principals to keen university students and housewives, he finds many worried about what life will be like once the US has left and whether that means a return of the Taliban.

“They will not accept us and we will not accept them.” Young female student

Taliban leaders themselves boast about their resurgence and how they felt about peace talks with America.

“It shows the loss and the weakness of the Americans and all other foreign troops, foreign countries who have troops in Afghanistan.” Taliban spokesperson

With the clock now ticking, those that have spent a lifetime opposing the Taliban say they fear for the future.

“The Taliban are extremists, so you may see a bloodbath on the streets of Kabul… This is about the future of my country, my people, quite literally our lives.” National security adviser

Monday 7th June at 8.30pm.