The Taliban on Tuesday invited journalists to a region of southern Afghanistan besieged by US-led troops so they "can see with their own eyes" a massive assault aimed at eradicating militants from the area. In an emailed invitation to AFP, the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" - as the Taliban called itself during its 1996-2001 rule - invited "all independent mass media outlets of the world to send their reporters to Marjah".
Reporters who accepted would "see the situation with their own eyes and convey the facts to the public of the world," the email said. The invitation comes as the Afghan Ministry of Defence is hosting two dozen journalists in the Helmand capital Lashkar Gah, with a promise of taking them by helicopter to Marjah in coming days.