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Dear Family and Friends, I decided to setup this website so that everyone can follow where Babak is. I speak to him regularly, almost everyday, and will try to keep this updated so everyone can follow his adventures. Below you will find a chronology of my calls with him as well as maps and other links. Thank you all for you thoughts and concerns. Regards, |
GUEST BOOK
I've created a Guest Book so that anyone can leave messages,
notes or comments which Babak can read when he gets back from this assignment.
| Sign the Guest Book | View the Guest Book |
| DATE | NEWS |
| 03/03/03 | Babak is somewhere in the middle east. He's safe and sound. But we may not be tracking him with as much detail as the Afghanistan trip for security reasons. But I will do my best to update, even if only weekly. |
| Nothing much happened on this trip, so as such, no log. | |
| 09/02/02 | Babak's back in Kabul yet again. He's been there about a week or two and nothing is happening. Fortunately, conditions are considerably better this time. Although, it's all relative. I expect him out mid September. |
| 03/29/02 | Babak's back in Kabul again. His tour is expected to be for 30 days, but one never knows. We don't expect much information this time around, but as things come up, I will post them. |
| 01/09/02 | Well, Babak is back in London now, safe and sound. This will be the last entry for this trip. I would like to thank everyone who commented on this site. Eventually, I will archive this site and start a new one for his next interesting trip. |
| 01/06/02 | Babak's in Islamabad now!!!! Finally, he got out. I expect he'll be back in London in a couple days and that'll be the end of another adventure. |
| 01/04/02 | Got the last call from Afghanistan today. Babak's going
to be busy over the next 2 days before he leaves, so I don't expect to hear
from him until he reaches Islamabad, Pakistan. From there he's off to Dubai
then London. His last article from Afghanistan was posted today on MSNBC
(see articles section). I asked him if they felt the earthquake they had in Afghanistan a couple days ago. He said they were driving around and noticed people running out of buildings and looking up at the sky. So they too started looking up at the sky. Then Babak decided they'd better stop driving so they don't run into anything. After all that, they never actually felt the earthquake. |
| 12/29/01 | Got confirmation that Babak is scheduled on a UN flight out of Kabul on Jan. 6th. So unless something goes wrong or a major story breaks, Babak will be on his way back to London in 8 days. |
| 12/19/01 | Today I added a Schoolmaster section. Click on the link in the menu above to read more about it. (If you don't see a menu above, you were routed here incorrectly. Click here to see the menu.) |
| 12/18/01 | Well it looks like January 5th is the day. Babak's threatened to commandeer an armored truck and drive out on his own if they don't let him leave. Until then, he's been put on Osama watch. If they find him, Babak is to rush to their location for the story. With his luck, that'll be on January 4th! |
| 12/11/01 | Finally got a chance to talk today after 4 days. His reporter, Tom Aspell, has left Afghanistan now so Babak's no longer producing shows as much. He's now charged with taking care of all the logistics for NBC personnel in Afghanistan, specifically Kabul. He mentioned today that he should be out in 26 days! We'll be counting down the days. |
| 12/02/01 | Everything's been "quiet" in Kabul over the past week and they don't have anything new to report. Because of recent events with other journalists, they've decided not to go to Kanadahar just yet for security reasons. But on a good note, Babak was able to take his first hot shower in a long time. |
| 11/26/01 | Babak's been busy the last few days. Haven't really had
a chance to talk to him anymore than "Hi, I'm fine, I'm tired, bye." On another note, MSNBC ran a special on Saturday, Nov. 24th "Witness to War" which is presented from the journalists in Afghanistan. The special is to run again on Tuesday, Nov. 27th at 10:00pm (eastern) on MSNBC. Babak is in the piece in two spots. Not much really, but interesting. I'll have video clips up probably on Wednesday. |
| 11/22/01 | They've rented two new houses now to replace the "occupied"
house they had before. I found out today that Jim Avila is on his way to
Kabul and Ashleigh Banfield is now in Jalalabad working her way to Kabul
as well. Before long NBC will be able to take over the city from the Nothern
Alliance with Babak as the Warlord. I believe he has already redrawn the
map and printed his
own money (Click
on the words "map" and "money" to see images). He told me the story of the blind lion of Kabul today. The lion is in the Kabul zoo. Apparently back in 1992, the Mujahedin fighters would go into the zoo and pet the lioness. One time the lion attacked and killed one of them. The others removed his body and returned it to his family. One of the family members, angry at the lion, went back to the zoo and threw a grenade at the lion, blinding him. No one is safe from the wrath of war. |
| 11/20/01 | Well it's been an interesting couple of days. Jim Maceda had arrived and Babak had rented a house for all the reporters and crew. Yesterday when he called he told me that the house he had rented already had a resident, a 500 lb. unexploded bomb. Apparently they didn't find the bomb until they started to move in and finally got the door to a pantry open to find it embedded in the floor. Today, they found a new house for everyone, though Babak is staying at the Intercontinental. Video here. Just so everyone knows, Babak and everyone else are safe, the house has been cordoned off and everyone's gone back to business as usual. |
| 11/18/01 | Finally got a chance to talk to him for more than 30 seconds. They moved into the Intercontinental in Kabul. He tells me he has the only room with a working bathroom. They have electricity and running water though the water is freezing because there is no heat. He was thinking about having a boiler installed on his floor so he could finally take a hot shower. So far he has two reporters he's working with, Tom Aspell and Marina Fazel, and Jim Maceda was on his way to Kabul as well. I expect he'll be extremely busy in the days to come. |
| 11/15/01 | Quick call today. Everything's fine, but he is really busy. Also, wanted everyone to know that they have lost their internet connection for now and he won't be able to email anyone until it's back up again. |
| 11/13/01 | Arrived in Kabul today but too busy to talk. He's safe and all is well. |
| 11/08/01 | Talked to him today for a short bit. He wasn't particularly happy since it seems that he'll probably be there through December/January. Nothing much happened over the past 4-5 days, so I really had nothing to report. Although, I did spend 2 days on the phone with Babak doing "tech support" for their ISDN card in their laptop. Only my brother would call on a satellite phone (at a bazillion dollars per minute) in the middle of a war zone to ask me question about hardware and software I've never seen or used when he has a behemoth like GE and all their expertise available. |
| 11/02/01 | Short conversation tonight. Called me at 9:45pm (about
7am his time). Must have still been asleep since most of the conversation
involved mumbling. They visited the radio station again and might go down
to the front lines for some footage. Submission from Dana Lewis/NBC News in Guest Book: I spent one month in Afghanistan for NBC News. My sources tell me Babak is becoming such a fixture in the valley he could run for mayor! Especially since the moutain passes are filling up with snow and he will have to spend the winter there. Can there be any doubt he will in the end be a longgg longggggggg time resident |
| 10/31/01 | Down to 2 pieces of chocolate!!!! (see submission from
Steve Handelsman below) They spent the day putting away their supplies and
trying to get the ISDN line working. He got his winter gear and had to procure
some Northern Alliance military pants. I figure another month or so and
we won't be able to tell him apart from the militia. On another note, it seems like I've become famous in Detroit. See here or original article. |
| 10/31/01 | From Steve Handelsman, NBC Washington, who spoke to Babak
by phone Monday 29 Oct: Babak Behnam, Warlord. "I've got 100 men under arms!" he exulted, on Monday Oct 29th by satellite phone from the Panjir Valley. "But I got only 4 pieces of chocolate!" Only in the wild world of Babak and the War could those two things make sense. Here's how: Underfed, bored and irritated at how slow the War is going and how few supplies get through to the pitiful village where he is based, Babak let the NBC "Superdesk" know that he needed supplies. "They sent a ton of water," he reported. Not a lot of water, literally one ton of bottle, boxed water. And hundreds of nasty Russian-made ramen noodle cups that "taste like styrofoam." Also MREs (US military meals-ready-to-eat). But the main request resulted in a shipment of chocolate that got...well...pilfered... on its way through Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. "4 pieces is all I got!!" The good news? After he got crap from a local Northern Alliance commander who demanded that Babak employ HIS drivers instead of the guys Babak had already hired and trained, Babak went to a different local militia guy and made a deal. For $100 per week and occasional use of Babak's phone, the commander has turned over control of his soldiers to Babak. "My militia!!" says Babak. "100 guys, with AK's (rifles). And I am having them build me a technical! A truck with a machine gun on board, like they used in Somalia!" Babak the Warlord. |
| 10/29/01 | It was a quick call today. Their supplies finally arrived but everyone was too tired to go through the inventory. So we'll have to wait and see what goodies they got. |
| 10/26/01 | They visited the radio station again and interviewed the broadcaster. Also, He told me a story about an Afghan language soap opera broadcast by the BBC. Apparently, the Taliban had jammed the radio signals from the BBC until their soldiers got very upset because they were all hooked on the soap opera. |
| 10/25/01 | They visited the only Afghan radio station today which is oddly located on a military base. The station is called the Voice of Peace and Babak said it's a pretty dinky operation. The base overlooks the mountains that separate it from Kabul. When they arrived at the station, there was guy on the roof looking out at the mountains. You could see the jets flying over Kabul and hear the bombing, but there are mountains between the base and the bombing. And yet, when they left the base several hours later, that guy was still standing on the roof, watching the mountains. |
| 10/24/01 | It's 12:30pm and just got off the phone with him. Spent most of the call going over his emails as he does not have access yet. Hopefully the satellite dish will arrive in about week. They're making arrangements to move into their new house today and he said something about someone buying some donkeys. He told me not to ask. |
| 10/23/01 | Today's call was very short, but he did tell me to watch Nightly News for their spot tonight. For those who didn't see it, they went to visit a few of the caves in the area. To see the spot click here. |
| 10/22/01 | Babak told me today that they had to move from their accommodations. Apparently the person whose house they were in wanted it back. Fortunately they were able to locate another place right in Jabal Saraj. But the new "house" is in need of some repairs, minor stuff like doors, windows, a wall or two. But all else is fine. |
| 10/21/01 | Talked with Babak today. Everytime it's the same story. They're "bored" because nothing is happening around them and they have to wait where they are. They're waiting on a satellite dish to arrive from Dushanbe. When it does arrive they will be going "live" more often and, hopefully, Babak will be able to do video interviews instead of the phone interviews he has done thus far. |
| 10/19/01 | Talked with Babak today around 3:00pm. He had just finished doing a taped interview for the local 6:00pm news on NBC4 (video is available in video section). Things have been calm for the past couple days. We actually had time to chat today about things not related to Afghanistan. Toward the end of our phone call he said he could see bombing around Kabul again. Actually he was very matter-of-fact about it. Seems like everyone is getting used to it by now. |
| 10/16/01 | Talked to Babak yesterday and today at 1:30pm. They really haven't had much to do. Talked to him about his MSNBC.com article and he said it should be up tomorrow. If not, I'll post his unedited version. |
| 10/14/01 | Babak called around 11:30pm tonight. They spent the day doing a story on an Afghan school. For the most part, all the reporters in his area are waiting for the Northern Alliance to do something. So there really isn't much news to report. He has submitted his article to MSNBC.com and I will post it as soon as it's available. |
| 10/12/01 | Talked to Babak today around 2:00pm. We had spoken yesterday as well but he was very busy. Today, he tells me they're taking the day off. So I asked, "What are you guys doing on your day off?" He responds, "I think we'll go out to dinner then maybe to a disco." Ha! Ha! funny guy. So no new news to report for now. |
|
SITE |
I've changed the site around a bit for easier navigation. I will be adding a section for the articles Babak writes which usually get published on MSNBC.com. Also, from time to time, he does telephone interviews with our local NBC station, so I will put those videos up as well. |
| 10/10/01 | Called at 1:00pm. Talked a little about his phone interview on yesterday's 6:00pm News on NBC4 (local Washington station). He wrote an article about his interview with the Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdullah (I'll post the link when the article is available on MSNBC.com).They traveled to one of the fronts between the Northern Alliance and Taliban. He said they drove for several hours (which really doesn't mean much to us since there really isn't much of a road network in Afghanistan, could be 1 mile, could be 20 miles). After the drive, they walked for several more hours to reach the "front". As he described it, the "front line" has been the same for about 3 years. Both sides are dug-in in defensive positions and basically are trying to hold their line. He said, off in a distance you could see the Taliban line and in between are the remnants of village with one house that had a white flag flying over it. So for now they're just waiting for the inevitable push by the Northern Alliance. |
| 10/09/01 | Called at 10:30am. Still pretty quiet where they are. Like last night, they saw bombing around Kabul, but that's limited to flashes in the sky since there is a mountain range between them and Kabul. Excitement of the day, hot showers. And not only did they get their generator working, but also got an extra from Dana Lewis (NBC) in Northern Afghanistan. He also interviewed the Foreign Minister today. (I've been trying to get him to email me some sort of journal or article I can post here, still pushing him on that.) |
| 10/08/01 | Called at 4:15pm. Everything pretty quiet. Heard bombing around Kabul and Jalalabad, could see orange flashes. Also, there was some AAA (anti aircraft artillery) from around Kabul. I asked if they had seen any of relief air drops and his response was "No, all the other journalists are out looking for the Taliban, but we're in search of the MRE's!". (MRE - Meal Ready to Eat). They also lost their generator today, luckily the house they're staying in belongs to the Head of Security for the Northern Alliance and he had a generator. |
| 10/08/01 | Got an email. He wanted to know if his article made it on MSNBC.com. It did and you can find it here. |
| 10/07/01 | Called me at noon today and told me that he won't be able to talk for a while and I should turn on the news. Apparently, they knew beforeand that the airstrikes we're going to start today. |
| 09/28/01 | They finally made it to Jabal Saraj about 40 miles north of Kabul (map of Jabal Saraj relative to Kabul here). Took 4 days of rough travel from Feyzabad about 200 miles through the Panjshir Valley. Map of the trip here. |
| 09/24/01 | Arrived in Feyzabad overland from Dushanbe. |
| 09/22/01 | Arrived in Dushanbe via charter flight from Dubai. |
ARTICLES
Below are articles that Babak has written either for
MSNBC.com or his journal.
| Date | Link to MSNBC.com Article
(may have expired) |
Link to PDF |
| 01/01/02 | ||
| 12/19/01 | ||
| 12/04/01 | ||
| 11/14/01 | ||
| 11/13/01 | ||
| 11/10/01 | ||
| 11/01/01 | ||
| 10/17/01 | ||
| 10/11/01 | ||
| 10/08/01 |
VIDEOS
Videos are in two categories: 1)
reports produced for NBC by Babak and 2)
reports with Babak in them.
| Marines move in | Marine ground troops are
now headed into the region of Kandahar, the last stronghold of the Taliban. Today Show News Report with Tom Aspell 11/26/01 |
| The fight for Kunduz | A few Afghan Taliban and
a few foreign fighters have surrendered to Northern Alliance soldiers surrounding
Kunduz, but thousands more haven’t decided. MSNBC News Report with Tom Aspell 11/24/01 |
| Confusion in Kabul | The fighting has stopped
in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul. But that does not mean that all is well
there or that anyone knows what lies ahead. NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 11/24/01 |
| Abdullah on situation in Afghanistan | The
Northern Alliance foreign minister, Abdullah Abdullah, talks with NBC’s
Marina Fazel about government plans and other developments. MSNBC News Report with Marina Fazel 11/17/01 |
| Northern Alliance power play in Kabul | In Kabul, the Northern
Alliance made a major political statement Saturday, just the sort the sort
of development that could make a diplomatic arrangement all the more difficult
to reach. NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 11/17/01 |
| Behind Kabul’s veil | NBC’s Marina Fazel,
who left Afghanistan as a teenager nearly 20 years ago, spent the day with
some women in Kabul. NBC Nightly News Report with Marina Fazel 11/15/01 |
| A poignant homecoming | NBC News producer
Marina Fazel returned to her native Kabul 18 years after escaping Russian
occupation. NBC Nightly News Report with Marina Fazel 11/15/01 |
| Taliban troops heading home | Defeated Taliban
soldiers were making their way home after surrendering key cities across
the country. NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 11/14/01 |
| Kabul
under Northern Alliance control |
NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 11/13/01 |
| Celebration in Kabul | Residents of Kabul
celebrate the arrival of Northern Alliance troops early Tuesday. Today Show News Report with Tom Aspell 11/13/01 |
| Nightly News 11/12/01 | NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 11/12/01 |
| Northern
Alliance moves on Taloqan |
Encouraged by the
fall of Mazar-e-Sharif, Northern Alliance forces are now attacking Taloqan,
on the border with Tajikistan, and are preparing to move south on the Afghan
capital. Today Show News Report with Tom Aspell 11/11/01 |
| Rebels take a giant step |
The capture of Mazar-e-Sharif is a big boost for
the Northern Alliance. |
| The
not so mighty Northern Alliance |
Military analysts
say the Northern Alliance may not be up to the task of fighting the Taliban.
NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 11/05/01 |
| Inside
Afghanistan's Caves |
NBC’s Tom Aspell
explores Afghanistan’s caves and learns why the ancient underground maze
is a perfect hiding place for terrorists. NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 10/23/01 |
| An
Afghan boy's uncertain future |
NBC’s Tom Aspell
introduces you to Wassi, a 13 year-old northern Afghanistan native -- born
in war, raised in war, and uncertain about the future. NBC Nightly News Report with Tom Aspell 10/17/01 (related to Babak's 'Back to school' in Afghanistan article) |
| NBC Nightly News 09/28/01 | NBC Nightly News
Report with Tom Aspell 09/28/01 (Babak is seen at the end of the clip) |
| Witness to War | These are the video diaries
of NBC correspondents and crews who are our witness to war. How they live,
what they eat, where they stay and why they do it. MSNBC special - November 21, 2001 |
| Babak Behnam Phone Interview 11/16/01 | Telephone interview
with Jim Vance & Doreen Gentzler on NBC4 on 6:00pm news - November 16, 2001 |
| Babak Behnam Phone Interview 10/30/01 | Telephone interview
with WDIV NBC Detroit on 6:00pm news - October 30, 2001 |
| Babak Behnam Phone Interview 10/19/01 | Telephone interview
with James Adams on NBC4 on 6:00pm news - October 19, 2001 |
| Babak Behnam Phone Interview 10/09/01 | Telephone interview
with Jim Vance & Doreen Gentzler on NBC4 on 6:00pm news - October 9, 2001 |
| Babak Behnam Phone Interview 10/03/01 | Telephone interview
with Wendy Rieger on NBC4 on 6:00pm news - October 3, 2001 |
| NBC Nightly News 09/28/01 | NBC Nightly News
Report with Tom Aspell 09/28/01 (Babak is seen at the end of the clip) |
SCHOOLMASTER
Manou Marzban, an old friend of Babak's who lives and
works in London, had decided to chronicle Babak's experiences in Afghanistan
on Schoolmaster.net, a web community of over 400,000 students worldwide. Oddly,
Manou and I had taken on our endeavors at the same time unbeknownst to the other.
Eventually, we connected and shared our information. Below are links to the
article that Manou wrote as well as the questions that students from Schoolmaster.net
sent to Babak.
| Manou's Article on Babak | Questions
from students to Babak |