Four journalists detained in remote Afghanistan

The news of the detention of four journalists for major news organizations, reportedly from AP and Radio Free Europe, slipped under the radar screen over the weekend with the news of the surviving special forces officer found in remote Eastern Afghanistan.

The journalists, who no doubt traveled to Kunar Province to cover the helicopter crash there, were reportedly detained by 'local' Afghan security forces. These security forces are supposed to act in concert with American military forces, but the US military has made no statement regarding the whereabouts or condition of the journalists. Some reports call them "foreign journalists" and other reports say they are Afghan journalists accredited with AP and Radio Free Europe.

Word reached the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) that the men are being held in an extremely hot underground chamber, and that they are on hunger strike.

In the US, the Office of the National Security Advisor has promised to look into to the reported detention.

If the report is true, it seems more proof that there is an effort on the part of Afghan authorities to prevent western news organizations from independently reporting in Afghanistan's remoter provinces. (It is unclear how much coordination there is on the ground between local Afghan authorities and the US military, it varies from region to region.)

The choice for most journalists remains: risk detention or death by going alone, or go "embedded" with US forces, a guarantee that you will remain far from the action, and be shown only one side of the story.