Prominent American dailies The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, on Monday, 16 August, urged US President Joe Biden to facilitate the safe passage of their journalist associates in Kabul to the US.
"For the past twenty years, brave Afghan colleagues have worked tirelessly to help The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal share news and information from the region with the global public. Now, those colleagues and their families are trapped in Kabul, their lives in peril," a group statement from the three dailies observes.
Asking the government to "stand behind the free press," the three newspapers adjured the government to take measures to ensure the safety of the journalists.
"As employers, we are looking for support for our colleagues and as journalists we’re looking for an unequivocal signal that the government will stand behind the free press. In that light, we ask the American government to move urgently and take three concrete steps necessary to protect their safety."Joint Statement by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal
The media outlets have listed three demands for the safe passage of their associates:
Facilitated and protected access to the US-controlled airport
Safe passage through a protected access gate to the airport
Facilitated air movement out of the country
The joint statement has been signed by Frederick J Ryan, Jr, CEO of The Washington Post; Almar Latour, CEO of The Wall Street Journal; and AG Sulzberger, chairman of the New York Times.
The statement comes a day after militant organisation Taliban seized power of Afghanistan after their advance to the presidential palace in Kabul.
Last month, an Indian-origin Pulitzer-winning photojournalist, Danish Siddiqui, had been killed by the Taliban. Siddiqui had been covering the clashes between the Afghan forces and the Taliban in Kandahar.
‘Buck Stops With Me’: President Biden Stands by Withdrawal Amid Afghanistan Crisis
In his first address since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, President Joe Biden on Monday said that he "squarely stood by his decision" of withdrawing troops from the country that has now plunged into a humanitarian crisis.
Pointing out that he is the fourth president of the United States since 2001, when the American troops were first deployed in Afghanistan, Biden said: "I am the President of the United States of America and the buck stops with me."
Describing the visuals emerging from Afghanistan as "gut-wrenching", Biden said that he is “deeply saddened by the facts we now face," while asserting that he did not regret his decision.
His address came a day after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan as President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded that the insurgents had won the 20-year war.
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