Afghans wave the national flag at a rally in support of Independence Day held at Pashtunistan Square, Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, August 19, 2021. Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times photographer, claimed that he was attacked by an armed Taliban militant while in Kabul.
Yam reported about Afghans protesting against the Taliban's rule on Thursday, Afghanistan Independence Day.
According to the LA Times, "At one time he was on the ground urging the armed combatant not to hurt him."
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The Los Angeles Times reported that a Taliban fighter attacked a photojournalist while he was reporting on the protests for Afghanistan Independence Day in Kabul.
Marcus Yam, a photographer for LA Times, has been covering the scene in Kabul following the fall of Kabul to Taliban forces this weekend.
Afghans marched in protest of the Taliban regime and to celebrate Afghanistan Independence Day on Thursday. In an effort to suppress dissent, armed Taliban fighters watched the gatherings.
Yam tweeted that "around 200 Afghans marched towards Pashtunistan Square, Kabul with the Republic’s national flags. They chanted: "Death To Pakistan," "God bless Afghanistan," and "Long Live The National Flag of Afghanistan."
According to the LA Times, a group Taliban militants fired on a group Afghans who were trying to fly the traditional flag of Afghanistan rather than the white Taliban banner.
Yam was there to capture the scene of the Taliban fighter punching Yam in the side, according to the LA Times.
"The fighter continued beating Yam and another photographer for a major US paper and then to demand that they erase the images they had taken," the report said. Citing the report, Yam stated that Yam was at one point on his knees asking the armed fighter to not hurt him.
According to the report Yam and another unnamed photojournalist were detained by Taliban militants for approximately 20 minutes. A Taliban fighter who spoke English approached Yam and the other unnamed photojournalist and asked them their names. He tried to diffuse the situation and was "aware" that attacking Western media is not consistent with the image the Taliban leadership wants to project.
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According to the report, "He gave the photographers energy drinks and then released them."
Los Angeles Times spokesperson said that the publication could not comment on anything beyond what was reported in the article.
Amy Kaufman, Entertainment journalist at the LA Times, tweeted her best wishes to Yam as she continued to report on the new Taliban regime amid all the dangers and risks that it entails.
Kaufman wrote, "Our amazing photographer @yamphoto has been in Kabul, literally risking everything to report the news," Marcus, we are all thinking of and thinking about you.
Business Insider has the original article.
