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Preview — Staggered by Stuart Neild. Staggered by Stuart Neild Goodreads Author. Get A Copy. Kindle Edition. Published first published November 27th More Details Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Staggered , please sign up.
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Afghanistan: Child among several people killed following Islamic State bomb and gun attack outside Kabul hospital, says Taliban. Although we'd been warned, the first instance I realised something was actually happening was an urgent call from my producer telling me to get to the roof. I actually felt a bit guilty because I was late for what was to become a day of live reporting and a day one never forgets.
Within minutes of my arrival on the roof, helicopter gunships appeared nearby, flying over the presidential palace and government buildings in the centre of Kabul. The helicopter's anti-missile systems fired chaff into the air - these flares divert heat seeking missiles by burning hotter than a helicopter engine.
The Taliban was in the city and the American pilots knew it. For hours they circled above but there was nothing they could do to stop the takeover of the capital. Throughout the day we watched as Chinook helicopters ferried United States embassy staff to the international airport - road moves were deemed far too dangerous. Near the presidential palace I watched from four storeys up as the Taliban marched through the very heart of this country's government.
When I first saw the group on the street below while I was live on air, I couldn't tell if they were armed or not, but the white Taliban flag they were carrying was the giveaway. The tension in Kabul has been at bursting point for days now. The streets usually heaving with people and cars were now deserted. As we drove around trying to understand what was happening, we passed through police and army checkpoints unimpeded.
I immediately noticed a difference driving around compared with the days before. The traffic for one, but far more striking, people on the streets were no longer wearing jeans and T-shirts, they had changed into traditional shalwar kameez clothing, and virtually no women were to be seen. The only traffic jam in the city was near the airport. All day there has been a mad scramble to get on flights that have been cancelled - and to military flights to which there is no access.
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