tv Farewell My Afghanistan BBC News September 19, 2021 4:30pm-5:01pm BST
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hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. england and tottenham footballing legend, jimmy greaves, has died at the age of 81. in later years he was a tv pundit alongside former liverpool striker, ian stjohn, in saint and greavsie. absolutely gutted... he was just an incredible player, fantastic on saint and greavsie. a lot of us grew up watching that. just absolutely gutted. he was probably one of the greatest players i have seen in my life. he was so brilliant. a sad day. proper sad.
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he was a real goal—scorer, that boy. i would say he is better than harry kane. - the actorjohn challis — best known for playing boycie in only fools and horses has died at the age of 79. now on bbc news...wejoin afghanistan's 9/11 generation now on bbc news, wejoin afghanistan's 9/11 generation as they say farewell to the country they've known. this is the 9/11 generation. stop, stop, stop, stop, stop! they grew up in an afghanistan characterised by opportunities, freedom and success.
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a quiet day in a peaceful village in the heart of afghanistan. moments of calm for this young sufi dervish. fahima mirzaie is the first and only female whirling dancer in the country here in the ancient city of bamyan. she is a whirling dervish and follower of the 13th—century persian scholar and sufi mystic known as rumi. to commemorate his birthday, fahima is arranging a tour of whirling dancers across afghanistan. it is the 6th of august, another normal day in kabul, but the taliban is advancing city to city. fahima's tour, scheduled for the end
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of september after the withdrawal of all international troops, is looking more difficult now. one of the key locations she wants to get to is balkh, but it is already controlled by the taliban. it is believed rumi was born here 814 years ago. last year, fahima paid a tribute visit, but her team was attacked by local insurgents. they narrowly survived, and she finished her tribute here at the blue shrine. it is very brave to whirl like this here, particularly in this deeply religious society.
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fahima was born in 1995, a year before the taliban first took over control of afghanistan. herfamily fled, returning when she was ten. then, afghanistan was a changing society and fahima was able to shape her future. but 2014 brought with it a new political and economic crisis, and they became refugees again. fahima stayed. it is the 7th of august, and the taliban's advance is gaining momentum. but for this young woman, it is a special day. it is shakil�*s birthday.
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everyone around this table was born within a year or two of the 9/11 attacks. afghanistan is a young country. 70% of the population are under 24. fatima sultani has come to celebrate herfriend's birthday. fatima grew up in a deprived village before moving to kabul, where she found her way into sports, martial arts and mountaineering. last year, she became the youngest woman to summit the highest peak of afghanistan, noshaq in the hindu kush mountain range.
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fatima's close friend, zabih afzali, is also a mountaineer and a tour guide. today is the 8th of august. there is a heavy trafficjam in kabul. the taliban has made significant advances overnight, and it is becoming increasingly tense. news headlines are about the fall of cities, retreating forces, targeted killings and people fleeing.
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over the past week, fighting has forced thousands of people to move to kabul, but those in kabul who can afford to are fleeing the country. morteza herati is a well—known photojournalist from herat province. he has applied for a visa, and he's preparing to leave the country. he has seen the rise and fall of the taliban as a child and now he is experiencing flashbacks. it has already been a few weeks since morteza and his family moved
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in kabul, the central government is confident that the taliban won't be able to enter the capital. it is the 9th of august, ten days before afghanistan's independence day, and kabul is preparing for a celebration. but the spread of violence overshadows almost everything, and it doesn't feel as festive here. i am visiting tour guide zabih afzali to see how he is getting on with his travel plans. zabih has dedicated his life to becoming a professional tour guide and a mountaineer.
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zabih was born at the peak of the taliban's power in 1998. when his family fled the civil wars and returned in 2006, zabih hoped he too could pursue his goals. many like zabih believe that the 300,000 afghan forces, supported by the international community, won't let their hopes and freedoms be taken from them. but the current climate
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is not in his favour. he believes afghan leaders and the international community failed his generation. on the ground, things are changing fast. the taliban have reached the gates of kabul. but there is good news for photojournalist morteza herati. his family's visas have come through and they're on the way to the airport.
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they have managed to get onto one of the last commercial flights. they have no idea that, in the coming hours, afghanistan will change forever. a few hours later, kabul falls. it is the 15th of august. this is the moment the taliban entered into the neighbourhood i was staying in. convoys of taliban filled the city. the police and army disappeared. the national flag was replaced. i haven't been able to reach zabih, fatima, fahima and their friends.
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it's the day after the collapse of kabul. all commercial flights are cancelled. foreign countries have announced urgent evacuations. and the only airport is now inundated by thousands of people desperate to leave. the next day, the panic is mounting, and people are filmed climbing military aeroplanes to escape. so far, over 25 people have reportedly died. shouting, gunfire. zabih, fatima and fahima are trying to get onto one of those evacuation flights. zabih and fatima receive a call early in the morning to go to the airport.
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they rush to the military airport on the back of this truck. but getting past thousands of people proves impossible. seven days after the fall of kabul, zabih and fatima finally get on a flight. but the situation at the kabul airport is getting out of control. whirling dervish fahima is still stuck in kabul. she's using all her contacts to help her get out of the country. she receives confirmation that her name is finally on a list with a group of artists to be evacuated. shejoins them outside kabul airport.
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the crowd is massive and the wait is long. they spend the night outside, but can't even get close to the gates of the airport. fahima's friend is travelling with her. for a second night, they can't get into the airport so come back to a friend's house. fahima is now getting ready for another try today. farewells are being repeated,
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the crowd has doubled. by the time fahima makes it to the gates, it is evening and the gates are closed. it is the 25th of august — the evacuation deadline after the 1st of august is fast approaching. little hope for those still stuck. but fahima is not one to easily give up. she's trying one last time. but as she returns to the airport, there is alarming news. the threat is severe, but the clock is ticking. the us and britain warn their citizens to stay away
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from kabul airport over fears of a terrorist attack. it is the 26th of august. i haven't heard from fahima today. the sky over kabul is full of military aircrafts evacuating people. but then a massive attackjolts the city. today at six, two explosions kill several people among the thousands gathered at kabul airport trying to flee afghanistan. one of the blasts is thought to be the result of a suicide bombing. the casualties include children. it happened right where fahima was waiting. at least 170 people have been killed and many more were wounded.
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ten days have passed since the collapse of kabul. evacuations have temporarily stopped. i don't know where fahima is. hours later, i get a reply from her number. she has arrived in france. but the events she has been through over the past few days will stay with her forever. she feels numb as the attack in kabul took some of her close friends.
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in the mid to high teens. the band of rain will continue across parts of eastern england tonight. it will turn a bit light and patchy. more cloud into western scotland and northern ireland in the second half of the night. in between, clear skies and a colder night than of late. temperatures down to the single figures in many rural areas. still the mid—teens in the east anglia and south—east where a weather front will sit tomorrow. lots of cloud, some brighter spells but the chance of one or two showers, the odd heavy one as well. western scotland and northern ireland, cloud increasing after a sunny start. some light rain and drizzle on western hills but most places will be dry tomorrow. lots of sunshine across england, wales and eastern scotland. and for many of you it will feel a bit warmer than today. dry conditions continue into tuesday. after a misty start, turning wet and windy in the north and scotland wednesday.
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this is bbc news. the headlines at 5pm... england and tottenham footballing legend, jimmy greaves, has died at the age of 81. before today's match between tottenham and chelsea there was a minute's silence for a player who's regarded as an all time great for both clubs. he could score all sorts of goals. he could score all sorts of goals. he was a beautifully graceful footballer and a wonderful finisher. the actorjohn challis — best known for playing �*boycie�* in only fools and horses�* has died at the age of 79.
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