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About Jane Corbin

Jane Corbin | 15:49 UK time, Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Hi I'm Jane Corbin and I've been reporting from South Asia, the Middle East and other trouble spots for Panorama for nearly two decades now! I first revealed the threat from al-Qaeda years before 9/11. I've been back to Osama bin Laden's old stomping ground - Afghanistan and his more recent haunt - Pakistan and I'll be telling you all about it in next week's Panorama.

Pakistan's in the headlines more than any other country right now - the new front line of the so-called 'war against terror'. I've just spent three weeks there and next door in Afghanistan and one thing is for sure - you don't feel as comfortable as a westerner there any more. I used to stroll the streets of Peshawar or Kabul looking at carpets, enjoying a kebab but this time I scurried from heavily curtained mini bus to fortified buildings much of the time.

One of the most extraordinary days was spent in a pretty secure place - a jail in fact. I talked to two suicide bombers recruited by the Taleban in Pakistan and sent over the border. One was caught before he could set off the bomb - Khalil was still filled with hate against foreigners and wouldn't look me in the face - let alone speak directly to me. The other, Abed, aborted his mission at the last minute and now he's filled with anger against the militants who mislead young people into jihad. But now this grim export has turned into blowback as Pakistan itself suffers terror attacks.

Lots of my time was spent in helicopters - the only way to get to the remote mountainous tribal areas. I was able to get the top Generals on both sides of the border - Pakistani and American to give me a personal tour. The scenery is awesome but the firefights with the al Qaeda and Taleban militants that go on here are vicious. I'll be reporting next week Monday on the Pakistan army's battle to defeat them and asking - are they serious this time? What happens here matters to all of us - this is al-Qaeda's safe haven for plotting and launching global attacks.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Hi Jane, I admire your bravery.
    When it is reported on the news, that more soldiers have died defending me, serious questions arise in my mind. What am I being defended from and why am I concidered some ones enemy?I know the fighting is taking place a long way from the uk, and that does not necessarily mean there is not a threat to us in the UK. What I would like to know is, in what way are we a threat to the enemy? Do they want to control the world, like our western leaders are trying to do? What is the fight really about? I mean really. I know one of the aims of Islam is to have global domination, but there must be more behind the conflict than that, or is that all there is to it?

  • Comment number 2.

    Hi Jane, I admire your bravery.
    When it is reported on the news, that more soldiers have died defending me, serious questions arise in my mind. What am I being defended from and why am I considered some ones enemy?I know the fighting is taking place a long way from the uk, and that does not necessarily mean there is not a threat to us in the UK. What I would like to know is, in what way are we a threat to the enemy? Do they want to control the world, like our western leaders are trying to do? What is the fight really about? I mean really. I know one of the aims of Islam is to have global domination, but there must be more behind the conflict than that, or is that all there is to it?

  • Comment number 3.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 4.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 5.

    Jane: Historically, I have held the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and more specifically the Panorama programme in high regard for providing in-depth impartial analysis on current affair.

    However, I was disappointed to find how biased this program was. I am sure there are countless people in Pakistan who are completely against this so-called "Jihad" including the boy's family in Bhawalpur. They did mention it, but you moved over it briefly. Similarly, all the public you showed in the program seemed to be supporting these "jihadists"

    Furthermore, you mentioned very little of their motiviation for performing such acts, and where you did so, it was skimmed over. There was 5 seconds devoted to the razing of ENTIRE villages. When you moved to the refugee camps, you did not mention any of the suffering or conditions there.

    There are countless such examples, which I could list. Pakistan is a country of 140 million, and you seem to have painted them all with the same brush. No mention has been made anywhere, that these views are held by a small minority. In the program, all pakistanis apart from the government have been portrayed as supporting these people.

    It is programs such as these that are spreading Islamophobia in the UK. Fox has done it's job in the US... Im disappointed the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is moving in the same direction.

    As for Wizeold: You state that western leaders are trying to acheive global domination and then ask what these people are fighting against! Exactly that. As someone in the program mentioned if a foreign agressor is attacking you, under the UN, you have a right to resist. Hence, this is exactly what they are doing... resisisting our western leaders' attempts for global domination.

    I didn't know that Global domination is an aim of Islam too?

  • Comment number 6.

    hi jane corbin,
    i feel joy to read your topics.this is really a hardwork to do as one dont care for terrior an do his work in progress in any condition.
    i will want to say that before 9/11 every thing in world was going right.i have seen by my self how was the condition in either of the countries,pakistan and afghanistan before that. the one with power attacked the all ready poor nation of asia.as it was right to do? how they become to able to do so?how can one be able to reach to a such high security zone(america)?
    as for as the sucide bomber,in pakistan ,whom is there to spoil the whole enviroment and what he want from them.are they also pakistani?they are higly trained guys they are all outsiders and work only for money.i suppose that if the border b/w the two is sealed than there u will no more attacks of any kind in either country.
    there would be causes for starting the war but here in my town a market was blown out on explosives matterials as that was a center for Cds shoppong.
    the british prime minister told about pakistan.for what purpose he says that?why these people say anything for that in east timor?
    any how we should keep on resolving the problem and solution for any condition collectivelly.

  • Comment number 7.

    Jane
    It has confused me somewhat to have had my recent post (#4) removed as I was interested in hearing your comments about the strange case of Omar Sheikh. You may know this man (UK citizen) is held on 'death-row' in Pakistan 'convicted' of the murder of Mr Daniel Pearl. He has appealed and there is evidence from a variety of sources (ex- President Musarref, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Times of India) which appears to contradict the 'official' version of events! This is the same man identified as the 'go-between' for Gen Ahmed (ISI) and Mohammed Atta in 2001. The FBI found that $100,000 was wired to Atta at the behest of the ISI by Sheikh! Why has this never been followed-up? Why are the US/UK not pressuring the Pakistani authorities to speak tohim? What have the Pakistani's to gain from keeping him 'out-of-sight,....' ? Perhaps you could find out Jane and really help the Public to understand what has and continues to go on in the nefarious world of politics/intelligence/misinformation spouted by Governments and the MSM. Stay safe!

  • Comment number 8.

    Dangerous bogus Muslims have been recruited & trained within the UK to at least 1995 prisons an intensive environment

    High-school science 1970s afforded hands-on training building a suicide-bomber trigger-switch designed to detonate when bomber is dead counter-measure on No 10 website petitions PFISecurity

    Vulnerability obvious when you look

  • Comment number 9.

    Jane:
    Thanks for the excellent introduction about your part of the team at Panorama....

    And, also for all of your reports....

    ~Dennis Junior~

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