OUR FIRST STORY TAKES US TO KABUL.
AS INTERNATIONAL TROOPS PREPARE TO LEAVE AFGHANISTAN NEXT YEAR, SOME BUSINESSES AND AID GROUPS
ARE LOOKING TO CURB THEIR INVESTMENTS IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT OTHERS ARE PLANNING TO EXPAND, DESPITE THE UNCERTAINTY...
AND IN ANOTHER SIGN OF FUTURE TROUBLE, WE'VE SEEN A GROWING NUMBER OF ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS
IN AFGHANISTAN.
ON ASSIGNMENTS DOUG BERNARD TALKED ABOUT THESE ISSUES AND MORE WITH REPORTER BETHANY MATTA
IN KABUL.
HERE'S SOME OF HER RECENT COVERAGE.
MORE THAN A DECADE OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE HAS A MIXED TRACK RECORD IN AFGHANISTAN, WHERE
BASIC SECURITY REMAINS THE BIGGEST CONCERN.
BUT ADVERTISING CONSULTANT MUSTAFA MIRZA SAYS THERE IS A RICH AND GROWING MARKET FOR SOME
CONSUMER GOODS THAT DID NOT EVEN EXIST SEVERAL YEARS AGO:
"I DON'T THINK THAT ANYTHING WILL HAPPEN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
IF YOU GO OUT, LIKE IN KABUL, YOU'VE GOT SUPER-STORES LIKE FINEST AND SPINNEYS.
LIKE, YOU CAN GET CAT FOOD FOR EXAMPLE.
THERE WAS NO CONCEPT OF CAT FOOD TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO."
YOU TELL THE STORY OF AFGHANISTAN'S DOMESTIC ECONOMY THROUGH, OF ALL THINGS, CAT FOOD.
HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT.
YES, I THINK, IT WAS AN INTERESTING POINT THAT I'VE SEEN AS WELL, IS THAT IN THE PAST
TEN YEARS MANY THINGS HAVE CHANGED HERE.
I MEAN, THE ECONOMY HAS BEEN FUELED BY AID, AND OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE.
THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING.
BUT I THINK DOMESTICALLY THERE ARE THINGS HAPPENING.
I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE STILL INVESTING.
DESPITE WORRIES ABOUT THE SECURITY SITUATION AND THE CAPABILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT, MANY
BUSINESSES ARE PLANNING TO EXPAND, SUCH AS COCA-COLA.
THE COMPANY WANTS TO INVEST MILLIONS MORE TO INCREASE CAPACITY, BUT LAND IS A PROBLEM.
THE FACTORY AND PARKING LOT ARE ALREADY USED FOR STORAGE.
[[BM]] AND NOT ONLY DO YOU SEE, LIKE, ONE TYPE OF
ENERGY DRINK, YOU SEE TEN TIMES MORE THAN WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IN THE WEST.
SO THEY'VE TAKEN ON MANY NEW THINGS AND A LOT OF THOSE THINGS WON'T GO AWAY.
THE COMPANY NOW BOASTS 75 NEW TV CHANNELS, 175 RADIO STATIONS, AND HUNDREDS OF NEWSPAPERS
AND MAGAZINES.
YET BEHIND THE HEADLINES LIES ANOTHER STORY.
SINCE JANUARY, THERE HAVE BEEN 36 CASES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS; A 40 PERCENT
INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR.
IN GENERAL THE COUNTY'S BECOMING MORE VIOLENT.
SO, OBVIOUSLY IF YOU HAVE MORE ATTACKS, JOURNALISTS ARE USUALLY CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THESE
ATTACKS.
AND TYPICALLY, THE ATTACKS RIGHT NOW ARE TARGETED AT GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS.
ONE EXAMPLE IS NDS, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE C-I-A HERE, IT'S THE MAIN SPY AGENCY.
AND SO, WHEN YOU HAVE ATTACKS THERE, IT'S VERY CHAOTIC WHEN THERE'S AN ATTACK AT ANY
SCENE.
BUT TYPICALLY ALL THE JOURNALISTS RUSH TO THE N-D-S FACILITIES AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
KILLED, OBVIOUSLY.
THEIR COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN KILLED AND IT'S CHAOS.
AND THE OTHER BIT IS THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REALLY HAS NOT SAID ANYTHING, WHICH
IS QUITE SHOCKING.
BUT IT'S PUT THE IDEA OUT THERE THAT IT'S OK THAT YOU ABUSE JOURNALISTS AND THAT YOU
BEAT THEM.
AND THE GOVERNMENT'S NOT STOPPING IT AS QUICKLY AS THEY SHOULD.
IN AN ALREADY TENSE REPORTING ENVIRONMENT, AND WITH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS LESS THAN
A YEAR AWAY, MEDIA RIGHTS GROUPS FEAR THE NUMBER OF VIOLENT ACTS AGAINST JOURNALISTS
WILL ONLY INCREASE.
I'M CURIOUS BETHANY, HOW OFTEN DO YOU YOURSELF FEEL TO BE AT THREAT?
I DO FEEL THAT THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE HERE.
YOU CAN JUST FEEL IT OUT ON THE STREET, IF YOU PAY CLOSE ENOUGH ATTENTION.
THERE ARE A LOT OF TENSIONS, ESPECIALLY AFTER AN ATTACK.
SO, YEAH, I DO FEEL THAT IT IS GETTING WORSE, FOR EVERYBODY.
NOT JUST FOR ME, FOR AFGHANS.
FOR EVERYBODY.
ALRIGHT, BETHANY.
STAY SAFE OUT THERE.
AND ONE BIT OF POSITIVE NEWS, AFGHAN FORCES RECENTLY TOOK OVER COMPLETE SECURITY RESPONSIBILITY
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL MILITARY COALITION, SOMETHING THAT PRESIDENT KARZAI CALLED A MAJOR
MILESTONE OF THE NOW 12-YEAR WAR.