“New York Times” Reporter Booted Out of Afghanistan
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Matthew Rosenberg has left Afghanistan.
As The New York Times reported, its journalist flew out of the country Thursday night following his expulsion by the Afghan government for writing an article that said a possible coup was in the works if the two presidential candidates couldn’t work out a compromise regarding claims of fraudulent election results.
After Rosenberg refused to expose his sources to the Afghan attorney general, he was ordered to leave Afghanistan, the first Western journalist expelled from the country since the Taliban was driven from power by a U.S.-led invasion almost 13 years ago.
U.S. Ambassador James B. Cunningham expressed the Obama administration’s anger at the expulsion to President Hamid Karzai, calling it an “unwarranted action.”
The envoy also asked Karzai to “affirm his government’s recognition of the importance of protecting the freedom of the press, as an important part of the legacy of his presidency.”
Meanwhile, Rosenberg later tweeted his expulsion order, which referred to him as “a spy” with “secret relations.”
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