This International Dateline episode includes three segments: Down Under in Afghanistan, Washington Insiders, and The Story of Iraq.
Down Under in Afghanistan
With the Taliban claiming that this year will see the heaviest fighting since they were overthrown in 2001, Dateline goes on patrol with the Australian troops expected to be on the receiving end of the offensive.
In remote Uruzgan province, in the south of Afghanistan, John Martinkus accompanies Australian soldiers as they carry out their version of a hearts and minds campaign. Can they win over a suspicious, even hostile population? An extraordinary close-up look at how our soldiers are fighting their war.
Washington Insiders
It was a night of excellent food, wine, and heated discussion when George Negus hosted (and filmed) an informal gathering of prominent Washington journalists and political analysts. They argued the toss on many issues facing Australia, the United States, and the alliance between the two.
When asked about Australia's contribution to the war in Iraq, the Insiders assured George that ordinary Americans wouldn't know Australia has troops there, and wouldn't have a clue who John Howard is.
The Story of Iraq
Once upon a time, an Iraqi man worked for a Western company in Baghdad. Al Qaeda told the man to quit, or his family would be targeted. The man refused, and his family was gunned down in a marketplace.
This is the reality in Iraq these days, but such stories are not often told, due to the travel restrictions journalists face. Iraqi reporter Fouad Hadi bucks the trend to deliver this intimate profile of a family completely ripped apart by violence.
About International Dateline
SBS Dateline, which began in 1984, is Australia's longest-running international current affairs program. It has a well-earned reputation for authoritative and incisive reporting. Dateline has taken the traditional way of producing TV current affairs and turned it on its head. Reporters who used to travel with a cameraperson and sound recordist now travel alone and have the responsibility of both filming and reporting their stories. The reporters became video-journalists, gaining access to people and places that the conventional camera crews cannot.
