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Witness History: Afghanistan's battle of the airwaves

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05/08/2021 GMT

Afghanistan's battle of the airwaves

BBC World Service - Witness History, Afghanistan's battle of the airwaves

When the Taliban fell in 2001 Afghans could listen to music and news again

When the Taliban fell in 2001 Afghans could listen to music and news again. Arman FM radio was set up to cheer up the nation after years of war and repression.

When the US led invasion of Afghanistan ousted the repressive Taliban regime in 2001, it was no longer illegal to listen to music or news on the radio.  Afghan businessman Saad Mohseni returned to his home town of Kabul to launch Arman FM, a new radio station which played modern music and comedy programmes amongst other things which had been banned under the Taliban. He tells Rebecca Kesby why he wanted to help rebuild the cultural life of Afghanistan, how one radio station expanded into a multimedia company, and how persistent security problems have impacted his staff.

(Photo:  Afghan radio DJ, Seema Safa, talks on Arman FM radio station in Kabul in 2014.  WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

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