Afghanistan a Lonely Beat for Constable

By: Joe Strupp Pam Constable is probably the last person to complain about tough overseas duty. Having reported from 35 countries during the past 21 years, The Washington Post correspondent has a reputation for doing what it takes and covering all the bases. But even she admits that being the Post's lone Afghanistan reporter these days has become a bit trying, not only because of the long menu of story ideas, but also the growing violence, political intrigue, and overall news relevance in the post-war country.

"It is heating up, but I am able to handle it," said Constable, 50, who spoke with E&P Online via satellite phone from the house she is using as a home base in Kabul.

Constable, who has been at the Post for nine years and spent the previous 13 years reporting overseas for The Boston Globe, is one of the few correspondents from a major American newspaper based in Afghanistan full-time these days. With other foreign assignments, especially Iraq, drawing resources away from Afghanistan, most papers have few if any reporters stationed there as the country's violence -- and political machinations -- intensify.

"For all of the press, it has been a pretty tricky balancing act," said Constable, who had to spend two months in Iraq during the past year, while also being based out of Kabul. "Iraq continues to be the bigger story."

But Constable points out that recent developments in Afghanistan, which include renewed attacks by the Taliban and the Bush administration's efforts to obtain more funding and United Nations support in the war-torn country, require more coverage, and more safety measures. "There have been times when there was a lull, but it's been a real roller-coaster," she said. "It is just me in my house with a driver and a translator."

In recent weeks, Constable has taken to carrying her flack jacket and donning a helmet more often when she ventures out of Kabul. "The countryside is getting more dangerous and more at risk," she said. "The Taliban and other forces are conducting more sabotage attacks. They have attacked policemen and there are very serious guerrilla activities that are not letting up."

Constable said she and other reporters will no longer travel at night and usually head out early in the morning so they can return before sundown. "You think about the safety aspects more than you used to," she said. "We are not particularly targets unless we travel with someone who is." She added that the country's unknown political and military future makes some assignments more difficult. "It is an uncertain moment," she said. "The political process is moving ahead, but security is deteriorating and that affects everything else."

Constable has handled a variety of assignments in recent weeks, from a Taliban attack on a girls' school to the warfare's effect on local factory production. Just last week, she spent a night out on patrol with a Canadian unit, whose soldiers are among the 5,500 international peacekeepers assigned to protect the countryside. Her eight-hour adventure resulted in an in-depth portrait of how these military men coexist with the local, war-weary citizens. "They do it pretty well," she said of the soldiers. "Considering that they are soldiers rather than diplomats. It was interesting to see how well they interact with each other."
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