Special Dispatch: Witnessing the Fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban

Today we have a special feature. War correspondent and writer Hollie McKay traveled to Afghanistan in the late summer of 2021 ~ her third trip to the country. Reports swirled of America's expected exit, but when, and how, and what would happen next for the Afghan people remained difficult to discern.

For years, Hollie and I worked together for the same network without ever meeting. Although we have unique backgrounds, we shared similar reasons for leaving ~ a desire to pursue more meaningful journalism for the people we promised to serve (people like you!). I went on to develop SmartHER News. Hollie recommitted herself to traveling to the places few journalists go – including ISIS-controlled Syria – providing on-the-ground insight to some of the biggest stories in the world. When I heard from a friend that Hollie was in Afghanistan, I reached out on behalf of SmartHER News and we "met" on Zoom in late August 2021. I recorded the interview from my parent's bedroom in Northern California where I was visiting my family for the first time since the pandemic shutdown, and Hollie was in her hotel room in a bustling and important northern Afghanistan city called Mazar-e-Sherif. About 24 hours after our first conversation, the country fell to the Taliban and Hollie found herself effectively trapped.

This began our relationship – a professional relationship of respect and admiration that quickly turned into a friendship that continues to endure. Hollie never wavered, providing perspective to SmartHER News during this uncertain time. She shared a unique perspective to life under new Taliban rule (here's one of her dispatches), along with her trials and tribulations of finding a way out of the country (escorted by the Taliban) only to return to Afghanistan days later with Taliban permission, spending many more months in the country when most media left.

Just a quick note for context ~ The Taliban provided safe haven for al-Qaeda to organize, train and plan for the September 11th terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 Americans – the catalyst for war in Afghanistan, where the U.S. battled both al-Qaeda and the Taliban. More than 2,400 service members were killed in Afghanistan; over 20,000 were injured. While the U.S. government designated al-Qaeda a terrorist group in 1999, the Taliban, as a whole, does not have this designation. This opens the door for future diplomatic relations and American aid; in fact, your tax dollars have gone to the Taliban-run Afghanistan ("$3 billion in assistance since the Taliban takeover"). However, it's worth noting some terrorism experts believe NOT designating the Taliban a terrorist group is a grave error. This debate over what's right, a debate that spanned more than two decades of war, continues to this day.

We asked if Hollie would share some special photos and memories with you on this day – marking three years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the site of America's longest war but also a country with a unique culture and people. This is her story:

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Afghanistan, 2021