Afghanistan: Caught between drug cartels and the Taliban | DW Documentary

Aug 31, 2024 DW
When international troops withdrew in 2021, the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan. The ‘forever war’ was over. But this documentary shows how western military forces were misled or acted on insufficient intelligence -- with fatal consequences for the Afghan civilians they were sent to protect.

The documentary "Winning Hearts and Minds” shows how western forces were deliberately misled and in many cases acted on the basis of inadequate information. The results were a disaster for the Afghan population.

In 2006, when Danish and British troops were deployed to Musa Qala in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, the mission was clear. They were to defend their allies, the local police forces, against Taliban insurgents. But this plan was based on a misconception. While the local police in Musa Qala were seen as the allies of the West in the fight for democracy and human rights, in reality they supported a brutal and murderous drug cartel.

Filmmakers Martin Tamm Andersen and Nagieb Khaja uncover this scandal, as well as the local police’s alliance with the brutal brothers Koka and Issa Khan. The filmmakers also examine a corrupt ex-governor’s hold over the Musa Qala police and how this man exploited western involvement to help his drug trade. Musa Qala eventually fell to the Taliban, as the population faced a choice between a ruthless drug cartel and an extremist regime.

The film reveals the tragic betrayal of the international mission that ultimately left an entire country in chaos.