Sky News‘ intrepid special correspondent Alex Crawford has given a bone-chilling account of the moment she thought she was going to die after being seized by Taliban fighters in the heart of Kabul.
The fearless journalist, 61, has recounted the harrowing experience of being taken captive by the tyrannical Taliban, certain that she and her two colleagues were about to become pawns in a macabre hostage video while attempting to report on the Taliban’s weapon-making inside the Afghan capital.
Having arrived in Afghanistan before the complete Taliban takeover following the fall of Kabul in 2021 as UK and US troops staged a dramatic withdrawal, Alex suddenly found herself in a country bereft of a UK embassy or consulate with the nation teetering on the precipice of chaos.
Within weeks, Afghanistan’s already delicate healthcare system had crumbled, while women were stripped of their fundamental rights and relegated to the status of second-class citizens.
Alex, who was awarded an OBE for her unwavering dedication to broadcast journalism, told Metro how was rounded up by Taliban fighters, along with her translator and cameraman.
Sky News’ intrepid special correspondent Alex Crawford has recounted her experience being taken hostage by the Taliban – and how she escaped
Taliban fighters guard outside the airport in Kabul on August 31, 2021, after the US has pulled all its troops out of the country to end a brutal 20-year war
Taliban fighters stand guard near the venue of an open-air rally in a field on the outskirts of Kabul on October 3, 2021, as the Taliban supporters and senior figures held their first mass rally in a show of strength as they consolidate their rule of Afghanistan
Recalling the chilling moments as the trio awaited their fate, Alex said: ‘We just sat there. My Afghan translator prayed and prayed and prayed and was sweating and – I don’t want to say crying – but he was very, very upset.
‘My cameraman, who was a very tough Australian, was just extremely silent. And we were left in there for what seemed like forever.’
‘All of us in that room thought, ”Oh god we’re going to be at the centre of a hostage tape”,’ she said, describing the room they were left in as completely bare, save for a Taliban flag and a camera tripod.
Six balaclava-clad Taliban militants then stormed into the room, positioning themselves in front of the camera in a menacing line in front of their captives.
Alex said she realised she was unlikely to get another chance to sway her captors.
But instead of grovelling or begging forgiveness, she went on the offensive and launched a passionate and confrontational tirade.
Three words in particular appeared to make the difference in her desperate attempt to save her own life.
‘We trusted you!’ Alex yelled.
We came here in good faith! Would you treat your own mother, sister, or wife like this? How do you think we feel? This is disgraceful!’
Her terrified Afghan translator was left aghast by the outburst, but duly relayed the message despite fearing it would seal their immediate demise.
But against all odds, Alex’s audacious act startled the Taliban, whose menacing resolve seemed to falter for a moment.
Understanding her captors were second-guessing themselves, Alex kept up the verbal onslaught until, all of a sudden, the Taliban simply said: ‘Okay, go, that’s it,’ and allowed them to leave.
Alex’s unwavering commitment to journalism has garnered her five prestigious Royal Television Society awards, a pair of Emmys and a Bafta – not to mention an OBE, which she was awarded in 2012.
She has borne witness to unimaginable violence, unspeakable terror, and the most profound human suffering – but perhaps this is what allowed her to remain level-headed and seize what was likely to be the only opportunity to escape the clutches of the Taliban unscathed.
Alex’s unwavering commitment to journalism has garnered her five prestigious Royal Television Society awards, a pair of Emmy’s and a Bafta – not to mention an OBE
Asked what drives her to return time and time again to these cities ravaged by violence and terror, at great personal risk, she said: ‘In the end, it almost feels like you need to do it’
Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint on a street in Kabul
Alex spoke with Metro ahead of the release of the latest instalment in her ‘Women at War’ docuseries, a show that delves deep into the heart of regimes where women’s voices are silenced and their autonomy and rights snatched away.
Her latest episode, ‘Women at War: Mexico’, examines the systemic violence faced by women and girls in the Central American country, which has in recent years been wracked with cartel violence.
Throughout her extraordinary career, Alex has not only documented life-threatening situations but has often become a target herself, enduring abductions, interrogations, and even being subjected to live gunfire.
The undeterred journalist maintains that she never consciously sought out these dangerous assignments, but rather found herself thrust into countries wracked by riots and protests, where her presence was sorely needed.
Asked what drives her to return time and time again to these cities ravaged by violence and terror, at great personal risk, she said: ‘In the end, it almost feels like you need to do it.
‘It sounds sort of moral… I feel like I’m not alone in that.’
- Sky News documentary Women at War: Mexico is available to watch via Sky On Demand
