Diane Sawyer to Anchor 'World News' from Kabul and Report 'Afghanistan: Where Things Stand'

Last Updated on Monday, 11 January 2010 13:08 Monday, 11 January 2010 13:08

Diane Sawyer will anchor "World News" from Kabul and report the next installment in ABC News' award-winning series "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" on January 11th and 12th.

As a part of "Where Things Stand" coverage, Sawyer will conduct an interview with General McChrystal and travel with him as he surveys different parts of the battlefield in Afghanistan. Coverage will also include reports on US military efforts to train Afghans to take over the fight.

"Good Morning America Weekend" Anchor Bill Weir and an ABC News team are embedded with US forces and will report for "World News" from forward operating bases at the heart of the conflict, covering first-hand the new US strategy in Afghanistan.

Sawyer and Weir will also file reports for "Good Morning America," "Nightline," ABC News Radio and ABC News Digital.

This is Ms. Sawyer's fifth trip to Afghanistan; she last reported from there in April 2007. The last installment of "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" was reported by Martha Raddatz in February 2009.

A central component of "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" is an exclusive, national poll of more than 1,500 Afghans sponsored by ABC News, the BBC, and the German network ARD. The survey, with field work by the Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research, is ABC's fifth in Afghanistan, allowing the network to track changes in public attitudes as they've evolved.

This year's results find that hopes for a better future have soared in Afghanistan, bolstered by a broad rally in support for the country's re-elected president, improved development efforts, economic gains and a softening of criticisms of the United States and NATO. But many challenges remain: Complaints about official corruption are higher than ever, views of the United States' performance remain weak and many Afghans still blame allied forces for civilian casualties.