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NYT Reporter Recounts 7 Months as Prisoner

David Rohde begins first-person account of capture, escape

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 17, 2009 5:05 PM CDT
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(Newser) – New York Times reporter David Rohde begins a gripping first-person account of his 7 months as a Taliban prisoner in Afghanistan before he managed to escape. In the first of the five-part series, he writes of his capture ("I waited for the sound of gunfire. I knew I might die but remained strangely calm"), his pleas for release ("I wept, hoping it would created sympathy"), and his revelations about the Taliban ("I came to a simple realization: After seven years of reporting in the region, I did not fully understand how extreme" and ambitious the group had become).

"Our time as prisoners was bewildering. Two phone calls and one letter from my wife sustained me. I kept telling myself—and Tahir and Asad—to be patient and wait. By June, our seventh month in captivity, it had become clear to us that our captors were not seriously negotiating our release. Their arrogance and hypocrisy had become unending, their dishonesty constant. We saw an escape attempt as a last-ditch, foolhardy act that had little chance of success. Yet we still wanted to try."

A 1995 file photo of David Rohde.
A 1995 file photo of David Rohde.   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Afghan journalist Tahir Ludin, who was held captive with New York Times reporter David Rohde.
Afghan journalist Tahir Ludin, who was held captive with New York Times reporter David Rohde.   (AP Photo/Rahim Faiez)
In this undated photo believed to have been taken sometime in August or September 2007, David Rohde interviews Afghans in the Helmand region of Afghanistan.
In this undated photo believed to have been taken sometime in August or September 2007, David Rohde interviews Afghans in the Helmand region of Afghanistan.   (AP Photo/The New York Times, Tomas Munita)
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I knew Pakistan turned a blind eye to many of their activities. But I was astonished by what I encountered firsthand: a Taliban mini-state that flourished openly and with impunity. - David Rohde, New York Times

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
DontLikeYou___
Oct 18, 2009 12:13 PM CDT
Consumerism will be the death of the USA. We are told to celebrate holidays by purchasing things. What a crazy world.
brawne
Oct 18, 2009 4:15 AM CDT
Heads up--Deebles gives little advice. But, in 2006 I sold my house and told everyone to do the same. Alas, most people don't like change. Well, now--buy gold, not gold security's the actual thing. I watch only the BBC for news because if I wanted to know what my husband was up to I wouldn't listen to his mother.
johntitor
Oct 18, 2009 1:08 AM CDT
Oh I didn't say it wasn't a bad thing. Is any weapon a good thing? Its been regarded as a science in my opinion, tweaked and researched for maximum effect. God look at toy commercials nowadays. (Its called Hypodermic needle theory) Advertisements don't have to subliminal, they just have to make you WANT. Human nature takes over after that.
World • US

 
Afghanistan • Taliban • New York Times • kidnapping • reporter • hostage • David Rohde

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