In journalistic parlance, a “fixer” is a local hired by foreign newsmen to act as an interpreter and facilitator of information-gathering. By 2007, 24-year-old Ajmal Naqshbandi had become one of the top fixers in Afghanistan. Then he was captured by the Taliban. This documentary begins with a moving videotaped message from Naqshbandi in captivity and then relates the Afghan government’s bungled response to the highly publicized kidnapping, which produced a tragic outcome. On the eve of Afghanistan’s scheduled Aug. 20 presidential election, it’s also a troubling glimpse inside a nation ravaged by violence, corruption, and poverty. Monday, Aug. 17, at 9 p.m., HBO
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aidSpeed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
-
Winchcombe meteorite: space rock may reveal how water came to EarthThe Explainer New analysis of its violent journey confirms scientific theories on the origin of our planet's H2O
-
Liz Truss to save the West: is a political comeback really on the cards?Talking Point The former prime minister is back with a new tell-all memoir
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
