New York [US]: A New York-based media guard dog has called the Taliban to immediately launch American reporter and also independent filmmaker Ivor Shearer and also Covering manufacturer Faizullah Faizbakhsh as well as stop restraining reporters.

On August 17, Shearer and also Faizbakhsh were shooting in the Sherpur area of District 10 in Kabul-where a United States drone strike eliminated Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri previously in August-when a number of security personnel stopped them, according to the Committee to Protect Reporters (CPJ).   Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America-Dari and also two journalists knowledgeable about the case, that talked with CPJ on the problem of privacy, citing concern of the Taliban’s reprisal.

” The guards doubted them regarding their tasks and also inspected their job permits, ID cards, and keys; they then took the journalists’ mobile phones, detained them for a number of hrs, and also continuously called them “American spies,” according to the journalists acquainted with the situation,” claimed CPJ.

The gatekeeper then called Taliban intelligence; around 50 armed knowledge operatives showed up, that blindfolded Shearer and also Faizbakhsh and also moved them to an unknown place, the journalists familiar with the case stated.

” The Taliban’s increasing stress as well as intensifying numbers of apprehensions of reporters and media employees, including the detention of American filmmaker Ivor Shearer as well as his Afghan associate Faizullah Faizbakhsh, reveal the team’s utter lack of dedication to the principle of flexibility of the press in Afghanistan,” stated CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna. “Taliban officials need to right away launch Shearer and Faizbakhsh and stop their scare tactics as well as stress on the press in Afghanistan.”

In February 2022, Shearer arrived in Afghanistan on a one-month visa after getting a job license from the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs to produce a docudrama regarding the last 40 years of Afghanistan’s history, according to the reporters acquainted with the situation.

Shearer’s movie as well as video job has actually been shown across the United States and worldwide in museums and also movie events. Faizbakhsh works as a manufacturer supporting global journalists in Afghanistan and was gotten by Shearer, according to the reporters accustomed to the instance.

On March 3, Shearer was provided an one-year job license by the Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Matters and also had the ability to extend his visa to remain up until September.

In mid-June, Shearer was summoned to the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where ministry agent Abdul Qahar Balkhi examined and also asked him to provide his past work, one of the journalists aware of the case informed CPJ.

According to that resource, Shearer was told that he was mobilized because Taliban intelligence was questionable of his visibility in Kabul.

In mid-July, several Taliban intelligence agents saw a bed and breakfast where Shearer was remaining in Kabul and also examined him regarding his work as well as remain, according to a reporter knowledgeable about the situation, that included that Shearer didn’t know if the visit was regular or if he was targeted because of his existence.

On August 16, Balkhi again mobilized Shearer, a journalist knowledgeable about the case informed CPJ.

Shearer told the resource that he was worried concerning the summons as well as didn’t know if the Taliban would certainly extend his visa past September or remove him from the country. CPJ was incapable to confirm more details about the August 16 conference.