Beyond the Headlines

Life in Afghanistan during America's longest war

On October 7, 2001 US forces invaded Afghanistan in response to the devastating 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda from bases in the Afghan mountains. Although this drove the Taliban from power in a matter of days, 18 years later the bloody conflict is ongoing. 

 

It is by far the longest US war and the most expensive.

We speak to Stefanie Glinski in Kabul who has been reporting from across Afghanistan for The National, speaking to government supporters and Taliban families, reporting on war damaged schools and hearing how people in the cafes of Kabul are trying to build a more hopeful future. 

Nargis Azaryun who works with Open Society Foundations tells us about what peace talks mean for the societal changes that have occurred since the war started. 

 

We also hear from Graeme Smith from Crisis group in London who spent years in Afghanistan, about efforts for talks, why they’re taking place now and what might come of it all.

Read more on our website:

• The hidden lives of children of the Afghan Taliban
• 'What use is it all': surge in Kabul violence leaves Afghans celebrating Eid in Hospital
• America's closing act in Afghanistan is playing out as both tragedy and farce

Exporting ISIS justice

This week on Beyond the Headlines, we look into the growing number of European ISIS fighters captured in Syria and ask what should Europe do with them? 

France has agreed to allow eleven ISIS fighters to be handed over to Iraq where the penalty for belonging to a terrorist group is death. France is opposed to the death penalty and has campaigned against the punishment globally. 

Is there a growing change in the European public's appetite for reform and rehabilitation? 

We speak top Hanif Qadir, who joined Al Qaeda in the early 2000s and has been working on deradicalisation and counter extremism programmes in the UK ever since his return in 2003. 

Also on the show is Dr Drew Mikhael, a fellow at Queen's University in Belfast who has spent years researching the nature of radicalisation and Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. 

You can keep up to date with all the headlines, news and more of our podcasts at https://www.thenational.ae/

A queue in Everest's death zone

After a photograph of a queue of climbers waiting to summit Mount Everest went viral, we explore what risks this poses for climbers and sherpas.

Eleven deaths have been recorded on the mountain so far this year, more than double last year's count. 

Some have attributed the deaths to overcrowding on the mountain. 

This week on Beyond the Headlines, we’re joined by Lakpa Rita Sherpa, a seasoned sherpa who has led more than 17 expeditions to the summit and Fatima Deryan, the first Lebanese woman to reach the peak.

What’s next for America and Iran?

The US has upped the pressure on Iran and since the start of May, tensions across the Middle East have risen. Officials on both sides are publically saying they don’t want a war but have released numerous statements warning of the devastating consequences if the other starts one.

In recent weeks, there has been an uptick in rockets and weaponized drones launched towards Saudi Arabia from Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, four ships were sabotaged off the coast of the UAE, and a rocket landed in the secure Baghdad Green Zone where the US embassy is located.

Analysts are concerned that despite no one wanting war, a regional game of brinksmanship could lead to a conflict.

Iran has dozens of proxy forces across the region from Lebanon to Yemen and an increase in US forces in the region being implemented, there is a lot of room for mistakes.

It doesn’t appear that anyone in the region wants to see the situation spill over and several intermediaries – including Iraq and Oman – are stepping forward even if Washington and Tehran say that the time’s not right for talks.

This week on Beyond the headlines, we’re joined by The National’s Washington Correspondent Joyce Karam to discuss what’s next for the US and Iran and how do parties cool tensions when neither side appears set to talk.

Yemen's floating bomb

Moored off Yemen’s Red Sea Coast is a rusting oil tanker, with a million barrels of crude aboard. 

It has been described as a 'floating bomb'.

After going without maintenance for the duration of Yemen’s four-year civil war, the UN says it is now at risk of exploding, potentially unleashing an environmental catastrophe on an historic scale.

But, with 80 million dollars’ worth of oil involved, Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government have disagreed on what is to be done.

The bombing of Syria's last rebel province

For months, the headlines have revolved around the winding down of the Syrian war and what the next phase looks like. 

In April, US backed and Kurdish led forces retook the once sprawling so called caliphate of ISIS in eastern Syria. Across much of the rest of the country, the regime was consolidating control.  

But talking about the future has overlooked the fate of nearly 3 million civilians living in the last rebel-held territory that is now largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group of hardline extremists once affiliated to Al Qaeda. 

In recent weeks, the regime and its backers in Tehran and Moscow have turned their attention to the North eastern province of Idlib. 

Over 150,000 people have already been displaced and 100 civilians killed in a campaign that those who fled Aleppo and Deraa say is as intense.

Sudan moves on from Omar Al Bashir

For three decades, Omar Al Bashir ruled over Sudan. But in April, in the face of growing protests, he was removed from office and the future of the country was suddenly up in the air.

In this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines, we talk about the changes sweeping Sudan.

Hamza Hendawi, The National’s Cairo correspondent, has been on the ground in Sudan this week. He tells foreign editor James Haines-Young about the mood in the streets of Khartoum, where since December demonstrations have drawn millions and eventually helped lead to a dramatic end to the ruinous reign of Mr Al Bashir.

Now, the military along with the main protest group – dubbed the Freedom and Change Forces – are working together to oversee the transition into Sudan's new future.

Sri Lanka reels after Easter Day massacre

Suicide bombs, 359 dead and an ISIS claim of responsibility. On Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by the single largest terror attack in its history. Hundreds attending Easter Sunday mass or at high-end Colombo hotels were killed and wounded in a coordinated wave of bombings.

In the wake of the blasts, communities have undoubtedly rallied together. But the shared grief belies the underlying communal tensions that have existed for years.

Amid the pain, there is also anger. It appears intelligence received by some government officials could have helped police prevent the attacks. But the documents were not shared with everyone.

Jack Moore, Deputy Foreign Editor at The National, talks us through the last week in Sri Lanka where he has been reporting.

The many issues at play in India's election

The scale of India’s ongoing election is staggering – nearly 900 million people are registered to cast their ballots.

And there are many issues at stake, with India's economy on pace to become of the world's five largest this year.

While many have been concerned about the economy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s track record of reforms, national security, the rural economy and Hindi nationalism are all issues that have played a central role as Indians go to the polls.

The National's Ramola Talwar Badam was in Uttar Pradesh, and she brings perspective and analysis with foreign editor James Haines-Young in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

Israel’s Arab population and the Palestinians fear for the future as Benjamin Netanyahu clinches victory in a general election.

Benjamin Netanyahu has won a fifth term in office and looks set to be Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister, after a campaign which saw him pledge to annex the occupied West Bank.