On Tuesday an unprecedented discussion took place on an Afghanistan television channel: a female presenter interviewed a Taliban spokesperson about the group’s plans for the country, days after insurgents seized control of the capital, Kabul. “We said to them, look, a female is going to interview you,” said Saad Mohseni, the founder of TOLO News. At the moment it is “business as a usual” for the outlet, which operates a slick 24-hour television channel and an online presence that has consistently beaten western outlets to obtain footage showing the collapse of the previous regime. pic.twitter.com/9qA36HS0WQ — TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 16, 2021Mohseni suggested the Taliban were going out of their way to placate watching western governments and media outlets. In recent days Taliban spokespeople have also been interviewed live by female presenters on BBC News and Sky News.

Source: The Guardian August 17, 2021 17:15 UTC