Q: What is it like to interview aterrorist?
Souad Mekhennet:
Since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, I have interviewed members and leaders of different al-Qaeda branches as well as members of the Taliban and Shia militias. I've worked in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. There is always the question of security and safety -- not only for me or us as journalists but also the person being interviewed. But even after all kinds of planning, I found myself in very different and unexpected situations.
One group first put me through some kind of question-and-answer session, and I had to answer the questions while one of their commanders pointed his gun at me. One Taliban commander spontaneously changed the meeting place because he wanted to invite me to dinner (and discuss the prospects of marriage). So there are all kinds of dynamics that play into all of this, and by the end you can never be 100 percent prepared. You will have to decide within seconds on which steps to take next.
记单词
al-Qaeda 基地组织
Taliban 塔利班
Shia militia 什叶派民兵组织