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As Taliban Takes Over, One Idaho Journalist Reflects On His Time Reporting From Afghanistan

Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo)
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AP
Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo)

By now we’ve all seen the images of Afghan people crowded on U.S. military planes and the desperate videos of some who clung to the outside of aircraft as they took off. Kabul can feel a world away, but right now it’s time for every American to look closely at these images. After two decades of our country being invested in a war there, the people left behind deserve our attention.

Heath Druzin is a reporter in Idaho these days, but between 2009-2016 he was covering the American war in Afghanistan. Idaho Matters talks with Druzin about what he's hearing from an Afghan colleague who is scared for his safety now that the Taliban has taken over the country.

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Frankie Barnhill was the Senior Producer of Idaho Matters, Boise State Public Radio's daily show and podcast.

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