An Australian journalist was surprised on the air by a Taliban call

Afghan-born Australian presenter Yalda Hakim was surprised by a Taliban call while giving an interview live on BBC News.
Hakim turned on her mobile phone after it rang, and was surprised that the caller was Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen.

Al-Hakim asked Shaheen to confirm his identity and connect him so that everyone could hear him, before proceeding to ask him questions, after the Taliban captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, over the weekend.

The Taliban spokesman promised during a half-hour dialogue that his group would achieve “peace” and that they would be “servants of the people and this country.”

Shaheen pledged not to retaliate and to preserve the lives and property of Kabul residents, noting that “no one will take revenge.”

It is noteworthy that the family of this broadcaster had fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan on foot when she was six months old, and there her family consisting of her parents, older brother and sister remained in Pakistan for two years before they were adopted by an Australian family, and they moved to New South Wales.

Against the backdrop of the sudden call, Yalda Hakim’s colleagues praised her for her composure and for quickly grasping the situation.