Thread by @jharleyaus

20 years since #September11. There is a lot said and written. Here is 1 small contribution. I was in Kabul, Afghanistan on 9/11. This is how I look back in that day and what followed.

It was one of those perfect, high sky Kabul early Autumn days. Still warm. Sticky apricot sunset on its way. I was there, as South Asia Correspondent for @abcnews, covering the “trial” of western aid workers, among them Australians, accused of “proselytising”. #September11

For months, the more hardline faction of Taliban leadership had been gaining the upper hand. The Bamiyan Buddha’s had been blasted to oblivion only months earlier. The “moderates” had lost in their efforts to present a conciliatory face of the Taliban to the world. #September11

I heard the news on BBC shortwave radio + the latest on Tampa & confirmation of Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud assassination. With no way to just turn on images from NYC - remember TV was banned under Taliban + no smart phones (or Twitter!) - it was hard to grasp

We rushed to the UN compound where there was a TV & saw the images that had shocked the rest of the world. In that moment, it was crystal clear war would return to Afghanistan - though no-one could imagine it would last for 20 years only to result in the return of the Taliban

When I returned to the streets of Kabul, word had spread across the city. There was a palpable sense of apprehension, mixed with deep concern for the people of America. Then, Afghans held deep affection for the USA - still appreciative for its role in helping oust Soviet forces.

What was remarkable about the mood in Kabul on 9/11 was the empathy. Afghans knew all too well what it meant to be under attack, to lose loved ones, to have your workplace or home become a target. What was happening in the US was both shocking & familiar to people in Kabul.

Back in the Intercontinental Hotel that evening - were all journos had to stay - the Taliban held a press conference. There was a strong sense their days were numbered. Everything was moving a million miles an hour but also in slow motion.

I remember being scared and adrenalised. Afraid and excited. Exhilarated and exhausted. I wanted to capture this moment but it felt so huge that I never knew if I was hitting the mark, or honouring the challenges facing Afghans. #September11

Within days, foreign journalists would be kicked out of Afghanistan. In Islamabad, the world’s media had descended. In Peshawar, the “Down with America” protests erupted. The latest chapter in Afghanistan’s cycle of war was unfolding. It would soon extend to Iraq. #September11

#September11, 2001 is tattooed on my memory & identity. For me, it was experienced through the eyes in Afghans. I remember the fear & anticipation, followed by optimism that met the fall of the Taliban. 20 years on, with Taliban 2.0, that optimism now seems a very distant memory.