Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

14 years later, Â鶹ӰÊÓ' Paul Workman returns to a changed Afghanistan

Share

As he drives through the streets of Afghanistan, Paul Workman describes a range of emotions from being back in the country he last travelled to more than a decade ago.

"Well, it is really strange to be back here. I left under pretty traumatic conditions last time I was here in 2008," he said.

"To see it now is, in some ways, quite sad. I'm looking around and there's an abundance of food along the street and yet we know that millions of people are malnourished, if not starving."

Not long before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February, Â鶹ӰÊÓ' Chief International Correspondent Paul Workman travelled to Afghanistan, a country gripped by war for years and now faced with a humanitarian crisis under Taliban rule.

His personal reflections on returning to Afghanistan aired Sunday night in the Â鶹ӰÊÓ special "Reporter's Notebook: Paul Workman in Afghanistan."

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S., Workman spent years covering Afghanistan, a country where more than 40,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces served and 158 Canadian soldiers died.

Canada officially ended its military mission in Afghanistan in March 2014.

Last year, in a turbulent exit, the United States withdrew its last remaining forces from Afghanistan, ending its 20-year war there and the longest in American history.

With the economy collapsing after the Taliban regained control of the country, and added restrictions on education and dress for women and girls, life has seemingly returned to the "same very difficult, harsh situation for all of the people who live here," Workman said.

"I hope viewers will come away with a sense of just how desperate and dire life is in Afghanistan today. Especially for girls and women who suffer the greatest abuse," he said.

"The story I tell in this special, the despair I witnessed is their story."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Childhood sleep issues may raise suicide risk, study finds

If your child sometimes has trouble sleeping, it may be easy to chalk it up to a phase they will grow out of one day. But a new study suggests possible serious consequences for this line of thought — such as a higher risk for suicidal ideation or attempts when they are older.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.