Diane Sawyer will anchor World News from Kabul, Afghanistan Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 11 and 12, as part of ABC News' "Where Things Stand" series on Afghanistan. Sawyer will have an interview with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the Coalition Forces commander in Afghanistan, and will travel with him to various battlefield positions.
Additionally, GMA weekend anchor Bill Weir, who is embedded with the U.S. military, will report for World News from forward operating bases in Afghanistan.
A central component of the coverage will be a national poll underwritten by ABC News, the BBC and German network ARD with field work conducted by the Afghan Center for Socioeconomic and Opinion Research. The survey of 1,500 Afghans has found that attitudes toward the government may be turning around thanks to improved development efforts. However complaints about official corruption remain high and views of the U.S. government's efforts in Afghanistan have not improved.
Indeed, U.S. officials have been deeply concerned about systemic corruption and the legitimacy of Hamid Karzai's government because of how it is perceived by its own people. And Karzai is still struggling to fill his cabinet after last summer's disputed presidential elections. He nominated a second slate of officials last week, but most of them were again rejected by Parliament.
This is Sawyer's fifth trip to Afghanistan. ABC's Martha Raddatz reported the "Where Things Stand" series on Afghanistan last year. Sawyer left Friday, Jan. 8. She'll be back in the World News anchor chair on Thursday. George Stephanopoulos will anchor the broadcast on Wednesday.
