Taliban spokesperson calls BBC News presenter during live transmission

LONDON—Taliban’s spokesperson Suhail Shaheen (pictured) called a BBC journalist, Yalda Hakim, on air, to discuss the group’s future goals.

The journalist, who was also stunned to receive the call, has received overwhelming praise after she expertly handled the call while she was presenting live.

The anchor was in the middle of conducting an interview when she received a call from the Taliban who have taken control of Afghanistan.

Suhail Shaheen confirmed his identity on air and promised Hakim that the group would bring “peace” and are “servants to the people and of this country.”

Afghanistan-born anchor Yalda Hakim and her parents fled from the country in the mid-1980s when she was only six months old. Her parents made the tough decision to go on foot to nearby Pakistan during the Afghan-Soviet war.

The 38-year-old news anchor now fronts the flagship BBC program Impact.

Photo courtesy: Geo News