♪ ♪ >> this is dw news. the taliban say the war in afghanistan is now over. they raised a flag over the panjshir valley. but the leader of the resistance is calling on all afghans cover where to rise up against the taliban. also coming up, two of belarus's prominent dissidents receive long prison terms. they helped lead protest against

alexander lukashenko's disputed reelection campaign. a coup in guinea. the leaders have pledged a peaceful transition. the take over the west african country has drawn international condemnation and threats of sanctions. plus, it is time to say adieu to a giant a french cinema. jean paul -- has died at the age of 88. we will look back the legacy of a leading man par excellence. to all of you around the world, welcome. tonight the taliban say that the war in afghanistan is now finally over.

the islamists claimed victory over opposition forces today in the panjshir valley, the last province -- to elude taliban control. the leader of the resistance has called for a nationwide uprising against the taliban. >> the taliban flag raised above the panjshir governor's office. the last afghan province holding out against the rule and now they claim to have achieved total victory. >> the people do not want the war to continue and that is no reason to put anyone to continue the war. so the people need to know that the islamic emir of afghanistan has ended the war. a video posted on social media by the taliban shows a man as a commander. he is speaking to residents assuring that they will not be hurt.

but the national resistance front and forme memrs of the afghan army rejected all claims that the panjshiralley had fallen to taliban forces. they have been fighting and first battles in the mountainous region. their leader, ahmad massoud, took to twitter to counter speculation about his death. the taliban failed to take the panjshir valley the last time they ruled afghanistan. if captured after a few days fighting would be the final chapter in a comeback that has stunned the world. brent: our journalist has more on the story from kabul. it is good to see you. we are getting conflicting accounts about the situation in the panjshir valley. is it possible at all to verify what the facts are on the ground? franz: it is difficult because

telephone networks were cut off in the panjshir valley. both sides engaged in heavy propaganda. however the taliban seemed to have taken the provincial capital. plus also practically all of the settlements. as seen by footage that was shown in your report. that said that sourc have indited to me that resistance fighters have retreated to the mountain, and this is nothing new. in the soviet occupation the red army entered the panjshir several times just to be driven out again by counterattacks staged by guerrilla fighters in the mountains. their claims now that this is happening at the moment that they come from resistant sources that have proven biased. so it is difficult to assess what actually is the status quo. brent: just hours after the

taliban claimed victory over the panjshir province, the leader of the resistance, awkward must suit, -- ahmed massoud, called on all afghans across the country to rise up against the taliban. >> indeed. he is sued an audio statement, 7, 8 minutes long and amongst others called on everyone to resist in whatever way they can by fighting or for example sitting - civil unrest. their reports tonight in kabul that a handful of people went out of the street and shouted a slogan in favor of the resistance and against pakistan that they see as a taliban sponsor. there is also a video reportedly from central afghanistan showing this. their protest seemed to have been a little bit bigger. but all in all, it doesn't, at

least, so far there has not been a mass uprising. remains to be seen whether this is possible just because of this audio message of massoud. it will rather be limited in the best of cases. brent: the latest tonight from kabul. franz, thank you. the taliban's sudden victory in afghanistan and the chaotic exit of u.s. forces from the country has left the european and u.s. veterans feeling embittered. they told dw news about feelings of betrayal. and experts are warning that these veterans could themselves become radicalized. >> for days his phone has been ringing off the hook. many soldiers who had to leave afghan colleagues behind our upset. >> are the drops helping you sleep better? >> they don't stop the dreams.

>> of course they will stop. but try to stop thinking about. >> the worst thing is not knowing what happened to our contacts. >> andrea was deployed to afghanistan seven times. some of what he saw left him with traumatic scars. when he realized in 2013 that is was affecting them psychologically he got out. since then he has been in therapy. he also counsels other veterans who are finding the army's hasty withdrawal from afghanistan has reopened old wounds. >> they see the images on the internet and want to help, to do what they were once doing. they brought some security there. and now they are here and they cannot do anything. they feel so powerless. today, he's meeting another veteran and also a soldier who is still on active duty, so we can't show his face. under current circumstances talking with comrades is often the only thing that helps the

vets deal with trauma. >> on the inside, i am destroyed. i can't stand it when someone cries. i have got my kids but when they cry i going to attack mode. i order my kids to stop crying because it makes me so aggressive. >> all three say the rushed withdrawal was a mistake. >> we lost comrades, friends during the mission. we saw terrible things that you cannot get out of your head. so, right now you have to ask yourself, what was it for? why did i sacrifice my health? why did my comrades had to die to leave and hand power to the taliban to negotiate with the taliban? >> andrea says says at least the government acknowledges that it failed to correctly assess the situation on the ground. but he says those mistakes could end up having a radicalizing effect on some soldiers.

>> if a former soldier thinks that someone failed and that it could have been done differently, that's when extremist tendencies can develop. they say, i can do it better, but because i cannot be open about it, i have to keep it quiet. >> andreas always carried a few photographs from his time in afghanistan around with him. >> they were good memories, too, but the pictures make me reflective and sad. when i see pictures of young people and do not know what has become of them. >> they are existential questions, and once -- ones that oppo-taco cannot answer. -- ones that the horse cannot answer. brent: germany has accused

russia about carrying out cyber attacks on his parliament. it has a lead of trying to steal lawmakers personal detail. for foreign ministry has warned moscow to end the hacking activity immediately. workers have welded the final pipe of the nordstrom 2 pipeline and plan to lower it to the baltic seabed. the pipeline is expected to begin delivering russian gas by the end of the yar. critics say the project will make germany too dependent on russia for its energy needs. the g-20 industrial nations have agreed to wrap up efforts -- ramp up efforts to help poor countries vaccinate against the coronavirus. at a summit in rome, ministers agreed to increase financial assistance to poor nations and to send more vaccines. they did not detail any concrete financial commitments. well, they are going to prison for protesting against the president.

today a court in belarus sentenced protest leader maria kolesnikova to 11 years behind bars. she was found guilty of charges connected to her role in demonstrations in 2020 against longtime president alexander lukashenko. her fellow activists, maxim znak , was handed a 10 year sentence in the same trial. maria kolesnikova is one of the best-known faces of the belarusian opposition. >> maria kolesnikova makes a heart with her hands, despite the handcuffs. the symbol of the nonviolent revolution in belarus. today in minsk she received 11 years in prison. opposition leader maxim znak got ten. they were found guilty on all charges, convicting of attention -- of attempting to seize rp the defendants watch the trial from inside a case. outside their supporters were waiting. this was not a normal legal trial by international standards. it took place mainly behind closed doors. the defendants' families were

only allowed to be present for the sentencing. >> i can take what is happening to her a whole lot better when i see her behavior, her attitude to life in general. and, in particular, how she reacted today. >> maria kolesnikova became well-known during last year's protests after the disputed presidential election they were months of demonstrations across the country. maria kolesnikova became the symbolic figure in the democratic movement. the defendant's lawyers are planning to appeal. the german foreign ministry had strong words in response to the sentences. >> germany demands the release of all political prisoners in belarus. we will continue to put political pressure on the regime and support belarusian civil society. >> supporters outside the court say the protest movement is not dead, but lives on in their hearts. brent: i'm joined by rachel,

deputy director for europe and central asia at human rights watch. she joins me from new york. rachel, what is your take on this sentence, 11 years in prison for maria kolesnikova? rachel: thank you so much. look, this is a monstrous, morally and legally completely bankrupt ruling. maria kolesnikova and maxim znak have done nothing wrong. they should be immediately released, obvious, and t case against them should be quashed. also, everything about this case has been complete the outrageous, starting from the way maria kolesnikova was kidnapped back in september 2020, forced to the border, border guards, sorry that security forces tried to force her out of the country, to force her into exile and she refused to do that. she ripped up her passport. starting from the moment of her

apprehension through these ridiculous trumped up charges, and then through the closing of the trial. so, it's completely and utterly outrageous. it's also not surprising, given all of the other abuses that the government has undertaken in th past yeara. more than 600 people on charges, sorry, imprison on politically motivated trials related to protest. the gernment has been in a campaign to liquidate or dissolve all civic organizations, to also disbar all lawyers that refuse to sign a nondisclosure agreements on politically motivated cases. brent: let me ask you. >> really it is not surprising. brent: what-- what you're laying out is a long list of transgressions by the regime of -- of lukashenko.

the european union saying it showed of the blade -- a blatant disrespect of rights but did you expect more or should there be more coming from the e.u. and the u.s.? rachel: thought the statement by the e.u. and by germany and the u.s i thought they were good because they not only condemned the nature of the so-called trial, this sham trial, they also call for her release. it is not every day these kind of statements call for someone like maria kolesnikova to be free. brent: the large protest we saw against lukashenko, they basically died down. many dissidents dissidents have fled the country. has lukashenko one? >> that is a pretty loaded term. obviously lukashenko is still in power. he has enormous power in the security forces to crush dissent. i don't think that it is waiting

when you -- winning when you ahve to completely -- have to completely and morally bankrupt yourself and your government. it shows that you are weak. history is long. and look at, the many people that came out to support maria kolesnikova and maxim znak today. i think that their courage shows that history is long, and we'll just have to see about that. brent: with the human rights watch. as always we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. military leader's in guinea have cemented their hold on power a day after detaining the president and dissolving the government. the junta says that it will set up a transitional government, but it has given no timeline. the international community has condemned the coup and demanded the presence release. but inside the west african country, the takeover, it has its supporters.

>> a rapturous welcome for the military leaders. some citizens hail their actions as a move against a move against the president veering into autocracy. ministers from the also government were summoned to a meeting to hear their fate. the coup leader promised to establish a transitional government but set no timeline and made no mention of elections. >> a verbal consultation will be opened and order to explain the major points of the transition. afterwards, i national unity government will be put in place to dry the transition. >> he is a former french legionnaire officer appointed by the president to head an elite unit. he said he was motivated by guinness poverty and corruption. some opposition politicians welcomed the intervention. >> my message to the young

generation, when you are lucky enough to be in power, you should not change the constitution. africa has awoken and the african youth today see what is happening in other countries. >> words aimed at the deposed president, seen here in a video released by the military from an unknown location. konde is a former human rights professor elected in 2010, promising to be guinea's nelson mandela but after two terms he change the constitution to allow himself to be elected again, setting off opposition protests in which dozens were killed. recently, he introduced austerity measures, including cuts to military spending which some observers say might have pushed the coup leaders into action. soldiers remained on the streets on monday searching vehicles for weapons to prevent any counterinsurgency. guinea h previously spent years under mitary rule.

now it has entered another period of suspended democracy. brent: for more i am joined by paul, a journalist and consulting fellow with the africa program at chatham house in london. good to have you on the program. we just saw images that, people celebrating what has happened in guinea. i mean, what should we make of this coup? >> i think one basic truth is that people had become very very disillusioned with. guinea had a grim history over decades and it was only in 2010 20 years after many west african countries that democracy finally arrived and he was the first democratically elected president. and people at first had hoped that he would be able to pilot the country through this delicate process of gradually rebuilding democratic life.

and granting more human rights, opening up the political space and broadening participation. but towards the end of his second term, he in fact, became more and more, i think you could say authoritarian. and certainly pulled the shutters down. there was a constitutional referendum early last year which was clearly massivelyigged, manipulated, and was not really any te test of the people's will and that is what open the way for his third term in power. and so, there was a lot of boiling reset, -- resentment. but w have to remember the guinean military have a grim history of human rights abuse previous interventions and politics, and so, while there is a lot of delight on the streets, people are still pretty cautious. brent: i'm wondering when you consider the first freely elected president of guinea, an

opposition leader then gets the constitution changed so that he can stay in power longer. and then he is overthrown in a coup. and now you have the leader saying there will be a transitional. for the in guinea, there's not much credibility on either side of this, is there? >> there isn't a massive amount of credibility. as i said, alpha conde's personal standing has bn damaged by his behavior of the past couple years. a lot of political opponentss are in jail. human rights had been getting worse and that governments previously reasonable economic track record had become less and less popular as he was forced to impose austerity measures. covid hit hard. and guinea, like other west african countries, has been going really through a very difficult economic time. so there was a lot of discontent.

but the trust for the military is fragile, a huge amount, on the manner in which they discussed discussions over the next -- they condu discussions over the next several days, will it be an open minded group of people as they would like everyone to believe athis stage, trying to draw together all the different strands of politics, former government, opposition, civil socie, to plot a new route back to restoring proper democracy, or will they in fact become preoccupied with defending their much more specific vested interests, and the military over decades had a big big role in power in guinea. and so, that will be a question that we'll only see the answer to over the next few days. and the key into -- for that will be the west african bloc, which is likely to act as the

voice of the international community in discussing with the soldiers a route forward. brent: and we will monitor to see if there are developments coming from there. paul miller with chatham house. we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. paul: thank you. brent: it has been called the eighth wonder of the world. nearly 2 million wildebeests migrate each year between tanzania and kenya. it is unique spectacle, but is one that is now at risk due to the fires on the migration trail. >> brian heath is out on the track every day in his land rover. the 71-year-old drives for three hours a day to the middle of one of the most important nature reserves in kenya. because of the so-called great animal migrationhat takes place year every year. it's a unique spectacle of nature that brian lives and

fights to preserve. brian: i'm glad we're able to protect them. people can see the road work. the obvious things we do but behind the scenes there is a lot of other work that goes on. security is a big issue. >> every year, thousands of tourists come to watch in awe the herds of wildebeests that migrate from the serengeti in search of water and food. the animals follow their instincts. but, at the moment, there are large areas of charred black, burned land on the migration trail. this, surefooted shows huge clouds of smoke passing over the masai in recent days. is it arson on the savanna? right now during the great animal migration? or they simply fires that have run out of control? environmentalists in the capital of nairobi are sounding e

alarm. who is actually setting fire to the grasslands? we have had fires burning across east africa every now and again, you get thsurge ofires. it's usually being done by local communities, intentionally or unintentionally. but in the case of -- it's a practice that goes back thousands of years. >> in the end, biggest threat to nature and wildlife years humans. targeted burning brings new grass but many small animals die. so there's nof ood and smoke is damaging. while on the road, brian is concerned about the entire ecosystem. in the changes he has observed recently. for example, the great animal migration is shifting its date more and more. he knows because he has been at his job for 20 years. brian: i can protect the animals. i have the freedom to be outdoors every single day. i'm very happy to see, a scene

like this. i hope we can continue to protect it. >> some call this natural spectacle the eighth wonder of the world. nearly 2 million wildebeests, hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelles are on the move between tanzania and kenya. nature follows its own laws, but man must help to preserve it. brent: the french cinema after jean-paul belmondo has died died at the age of 88. he shot to international fame in the classic "breathless," and became one of the biggest stars of france's new wave movement. earlier i asked our culture correspondent about his thoughts on france's late leading man. >> yeah, belmondo, he taught the world how to be cool. since that 1960 film, since "breathless," a classic, everybody around the world tried to be like belmondo, try to walk

like him or to talk like him or dress like them, to smoke like h im. he was an incredibly influential -- actor, really around the world and inspired a whole new generation of acting style, even in the united states. the films he made in the 1960's inspired the new wave of hollywood cinema in the 1970's with deniro and al pacino. brent: after a short break i will be back to take you through "the day." stick around. we will be right back.

anchor: hello and welcome to live from paris. here are the headlines this ur. this wednesday, the trial of the people accused of orchestrating the attacks of november 2015 begins in paris. we will have an early look at the courtroom custom-built for the proceedings. it is a war of words in the afghanistan, the taliban saying they have taken over the panjshir valley, but a spokesperson with the resistance front said it is still defending territory in the mountains and valleys. and the death of a freh cinema legend, we will look back at the