US female reporter wears hijab after Taliban takeover

Ground Report | New Delhi: US female reporter wears hijab; Amid the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward has begun wearing the hijab on-air, where she discusses what it's like to be a female reporter in the nation.

Speaking on CNN on Monday, Ward described life inside Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. He described the Taliban fighters as "smiling and victorious" who have flooded the capital.

"It's a scene I honestly thought I'd never been able to see," she said. "Hundreds of Taliban fighters and, right behind us, the US Embassy compound."

ALSO READ: Photo of women being wiped out in Kabul

“Obviously, I have dressed very differently to how I normally dress to walk the streets of Kabul,” she said. She said that she saw fewer women outside, and the people she saw were wearing more conservative clothing.

Ward said at one point, "They've asked me to stand in favor of just being a woman." Clarissa Ward's 'wardrobe' transformation is widely regarded as the inevitable 'repression' of Afghan women in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. People posted collages of Clarissa Ward's 'before and after Taliban uprising' photos on Twitter and wished her safety.

US female reporter wears hijab

CNN reporter Clarissa Ward before and after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. pic.twitter.com/v7oRvJI6V1

— Velina Tchakarova (@vtchakarova) August 16, 2021

Wardrobe change for CNN’s @clarissaward in Afghanistan today pic.twitter.com/99iB4sfkbG

— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) August 16, 2021

On the streets of Kabul today- feel we are witnessing history pic.twitter.com/wcVKzbT6oJ

— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) August 16, 2021

"I can only imagine how terrifying the situation must be there," tweeted one user, @sannahoeven. "You're so brave for doing this. A true journalist!"

CNN’s @clarissaward outside the abandoned US embassy in Kabul: “They’re just chanting ‘Death to America,’ but they seem friendly at the same time.” pic.twitter.com/153FOCN658

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 16, 2021

This meme is inaccurate. The top photo is inside a private compound. The bottom is on the streets of Taliban held Kabul. I always wore a head scarf on the street in Kabul previously, though not w/ hair fully covered and abbaya. So there is a difference but not quite this stark. pic.twitter.com/BmIRFFSdSE

— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) August 16, 2021

What happened in Afghanistan so far

• After the Taliban’s capture in Kabul, thousands of people reached Kabul airport in an attempt to escape from there. Due to this a situation of stampede was created there. According to the reports, five people have died at the airport due to the stampede.
• Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has said that in view of the current situation in Afghanistan, it has been decided to bring back the Indian Ambassador and Embassy staff present in Kabul to India immediately.
• The US and Britain have sent special troops to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan. Britain has sent 200 soldiers and the US has sent 1,000 additional soldiers to Afghanistan.

ALSO READ: What is Taliban's message to US president Biden?

• US President Joe Biden backed the decision to withdraw his troops from the US and acknowledged that the situation in Afghanistan has turned out to be faster than expected.
• On Monday, the US military took control of the airport and restarted it after all flights to and from Kabul airport were cancelled.
• Biden warned that the US would “defend its people with all destructive power” if the Taliban attacked American troops. Biden has said that the US will continue to help Afghanistan and will continue diplomatic efforts at the provincial level to ensure that violence and instability do not occur.

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