The Daily Populous Saturday May 25th, 2024 day edition
Authored by yahoo.com and submitted by sleepysnowboarder

A scene from the film Retrograde, said to have been used by the Taliban to write a hit list

An Afghan contractor who worked for the US military was killed by the Taliban after appearing in an Emmy-winning documentary despite warnings it would endanger him, according to a report.

The man in his 20s – nicknamed “Justin Bieber” because of his good looks – was featured in the 2022 film Retrograde, which has now been accused of inadvertently helping the Taliban to create a hit list used to target American allies in Afghanistan.

The documentary focuses on the experiences of US special forces prior to America’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021.

It has now been pulled by the two US broadcasters – National Geographic Channel and Hulu – that had been screening it.

Matthew Heineman 'cannot recall' receiving warnings his film Retrograde could put Afghans in danger - Dave Benett/Getty

According to The Washington Post, “Bieber”, whose real name was withheld in an effort to protect his family, was seized from his house by Taliban forces and tortured for two weeks before later dying of his injuries.

In Taliban custody, he claimed to have been punched, kicked, beaten with sticks and held under water.

After being released, the man told a source cited by The Post: “They showed me (the) Retrograde movie and said you have worked with foreign forces and also worked in the movie. They found me through the Retrograde movie.”

Earning his nickname when working with the Green Beets, “Bieber” was employed to protect US troops by helping to identify potential mines on the streets.

He was one of thousands of civilian workers, including interpreters as well as bomb-clearers, left in danger in 2021 once US troops left and the Afghan government fell to the Taliban.

But his profile was raised significantly after featuring, without facial blurring, in director Matthew Heineman’s acclaimed film – which won high praise from critics and scooped three Emmy awards.

A clip from the documentary spread through Afghanistan on TikTok in the weeks prior to his capture.

Up to eight other Afghans, whose faces are also shown in Retrograde, remain in hiding, according to the 1208 Foundation, a charitable organisation that tries to help Afghans who assisted US forces flee the country.

“As Retrograde became a hit in Hollywood, it became a hit list in Afghanistan,” Thomas Kasza, a former Green Beret who is the foundation’s executive director, told a Congressional hearing in January.

“A hit list which the Taliban used to identify, abduct, torture and kill.”

Taliban special forces in Lashkar Gah city in Helmand in 2021 - Majid Saeedi/Getty

Heineman and the documentary’s producer Caitlin McNally decided to show close-ups of mine-clearers despite warnings from at least five people prior to Retrograde’s December 2022 release, according to Post interviews.

Those sources – identified as three active-duty US military personnel and two former Green Berets – told the paper that scenes from Retrograde would put “Bieber” and other Afghan contractors in the film in danger.

The Post says the warnings to the filmmakers were issued at a time when hundreds of Taliban retribution killings of contractors and their families had already been documented.

In a statement, Heineman and McNally said they had “no recollection” of receiving specific warnings about the Afghan mine-clearers after two pre-release reviews by the US military.

They said the same about a Washington DC screening event held before the film’s release that was attended by two former Green Berets who told the paper they warned about the danger of showing the faces of mine-clearers.

US army officers with an Afghan battalion commander in 2013 - Robert Nickelsberg/Getty

Heineman and McNally called the man’s death “a heartbreaking tragedy”.

They added: “The US government’s precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the vengeful actions of the Taliban upon taking power – armed with detailed information identifying Afghans who worked with the US government – led to the deaths of countless partners left behind.

“That is the tragic story that warrants attention. But any attempt to blame Retrograde because the film showed faces of individuals in war zones – as has long been standard in ethical conflict reporting – would be deeply wrong.”

National Geographic, which produces documentaries as part of a joint agreement with Disney, said that it had pulled the film in “an abundance of caution” because of “new attention to this film”.

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rach1200 on May 25th, 2024 at 03:50 UTC »

Director Matthew “Heineman and producer Caitlin McNally decided to show close ups of mine clearers despite warning from 5 people”.

Remember those names. In their quests for awards, Matthew Heineman and Caitlin McNally caused the torture and death of a young man.

I have no idea what they have done prior but if their morality compass puts money and awards ahead of human lives, I will check to make sure I never watch a documentary by them.

This is horrific. I’m so sorry for that young man.

Edit to add, the article said Matthew Heineman and Caitlin McNally “had no recollection” of being warned against doxing people would be dangerous.

I’m just an average person who closely followed the US pulling out of Afghanistan and I could have predicted showing faces of people that helped the US was a death sentence.

If Matthew Heineman and Catlin McNally did an actual documentary on this and feign surprise at the death they are 1) Terrible documentary makers if they need other people to tell them the risks of doxing 2) POS that lead to death because they wanted an award.

Shame on both of them.

xdeltax97 on May 25th, 2024 at 03:10 UTC »

Fucking horrible that the director and the producer were warned multiple times not to include them and didn’t even have the care to blur them or mask their identities in any way. What jackasses.

Stardew-Valley-IRL on May 25th, 2024 at 02:20 UTC »

The most fucked up part is they were warned and doxxed him anyway and don’t recall anyone warning them. Poor guy.