Sean Langan

Sean Langan (born 1964) is a British journalist and documentary film-maker. Langan works in dangerous and volatile situations; including environments noted for war, conflict and civil unrest. In 2008 he was kidnapped along with his translator while filming in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. They were freed three months later after Langan's family had negotiated their release.

The ordeal, ransom and criticisms

Bafta nominee Sean Langan, 43, who was working for Channel 4's "Dispatches" television series when he was abducted in March by the Taliban in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, was "safe and well" after release on 21 June 2008 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Langan was held hostage by the Taliban for 12 weeks after trying to make contact with Al-Qaeda’s second in command, as he searched for associates of Osama bin Laden. Langan stated he believed Channel 4 paid "compensation" to those who held him for his release. In his first broadcast interview since the release, Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow asked whether a ransom had been paid. Langan replied: "No. I think a bit of compensation, not to the Taliban, but to some of the people in the house I believe, but I don't know." Channel 4's position was: “This was a very complex and delicate negotiation and Channel 4 provided Sean’s family with support and expert advice. We don’t think it is appropriate to go into the detail of the dialogue that was necessary to secure Sean’s release. We shared information with the Foreign Office throughout this process.”

Taliban

The Taliban (Pashto: طالبان‎ ṭālibān "students"), alternately spelled Taleban, is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan currently waging war (an insurgency, or jihad) within that country. From 1996 to 2001, it held power in Afghanistan and enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, of which the international community and leading Muslims have been highly critical. Until his death in 2013, Mullah Mohammed Omar was the supreme commander and spiritual leader of the Taliban. Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was elected as his replacement in 2015, but as of November 2015 there are conflicting reports that he may have been killed or badly wounded. As of mid-2015, the group is "directly or indirectly" supported in Afghanistan by "about a dozen" militant groups, having "different goals and agendas".

The movement originated in the early 1990s, but was not fully unified until its 1994 capture of Kandahar. Under the leadership of Mohammed Omar, the movement spread throughout most of Afghanistan, sequestering power from the Mujahideen warlords, whose corruption and despotism Afghans had tired of. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was established in 1996 and the Afghan capital transferred to Kandahar. It held control of most of the country until being overthrown by the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in December 2001 following the September 11 attacks. Even at its peak formal diplomatic recognition of the Taliban's government was acknowledged by only three nations: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The group later regrouped as an insurgency movement to fight the American-backed Karzai administration and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Family (disambiguation)

A family is a domestic or social group.

Family or The Family may refer to:

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Real Stories

Real Stories is an Australian satirical television comedy series produced by Carlton Television for Network Ten. It was created by Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. The series was first broadcast on 22 August 2006.

Eight episodes were produced. The program was a parody of current affairs shows. It was hosted by Jennifer Adams, a former Seven Network reporter. The show mimicked a standard current affairs format. Pre-recorded segments in the show were introduced by the host. These segments starred Hamish Blake, Andy Lee, Ryan Shelton, and Tim Bartley with voice-overs provided by Greg Fleet.

The show originally started as a project for Melbourne's Channel 31, a community access television station, as a collaboration between Roving Enterprises and Hamish & Andy's production company, Radio Karate. There are no plans to continue production of the show. It was repeated during 2007, and is currently available on DVD. Several podcasts were produced, including material not broadcast in the series.