Jere Van Dyk is a journalist and author. He is currently a consultant on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and al-Qaeda for CBS News. In 2008, Van Dyk was captured and imprisoned by the Taliban in the no-man's-land between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He tells the story of his 45-day ordeal in his book, Captive (2010). In 1981, while working as a correspondent for The New York Times, Van Dyk lived with the mujahideen as they battled the Soviet Army. His articles in The New York Times, which included a three-part story in the paper's Sunday magazine, were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He later wrote In Afghanistan, a book on his experiences during that journey. In 2001, Mr. Van Dyk, working as a free-lance correspondent, covered the war in Afghanistan and the murder of Daniel Pearl.
Van Dyk has written for many publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and National Geographic. He has traveled in Afghanistan and other countries in the region since the 1970s and reported on them for CBS News (both radio and television), CNN, National Public Radio, and other broadcast organizations.
Featured Work
JUL 2, 2010 • Podcast
Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban
Journalist Jere Van Dyk tells of his decades-long involvement with Afghanistan, and gives a harrowing account of his 2008 kidnapping and imprisonment by the Taliban in ...
MAY 18, 2007 • Podcast
Jere Van Dyk Discusses Afghanistan
Jere Van Dyk talks about Afghanistan past and present, the resurgence of the Taliban, and the possible whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.
MAY 18, 2007 • Transcript
Jere Van Dyk Discusses Afghanistan
Jere Van Dyk talks about Afghanistan past and present, the resurgence of the Taliban, and the possible whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.
DEC 20, 2006 • Article
Van Dyk Diary: Khost, Southeast Afghanistan
Despite an American military presence here, the Taliban are back and Khost is more dangerous than it was a few years ago. There are suicide ...
DEC 18, 2006 • Article
Van Dyk Diary: Baluchistan, Pakistan
Baluchistan borders on Afghanistan and Iran. In the past it was a haven for the Mujahideen; now it harbors the Taliban and perhaps ...
DEC 18, 2006 • Article
ROUNDTABLE: Baluchistan and the War on Terror
Is the rugged province of Baluchistan a haven for al-Qaeda and the Taliban? How do Pakistanis and Afghans view the situation there?
NOV 30, 2006 • Article
Van Dyk Diary: Kabul, November 2006
Jere Van Dyk reports on the current situation in Kabul, describing the changes since his first visit in 1970.
NOV 20, 2006 • Article
Van Dyk Diary: Islamabad, Karachi, and Peshawar
Jere Van Dyk reports on the mood in Pakistan and the situation in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, scene of several aerial attacks ...
NOV 5, 2006 • Article
Van Dyk Diary: Marrakech, Past and Present
Morocco is a Muslim country, but Marrakech is to Europe what Acapulco or Cancun is to Americans: an exotic, safe tourist destination in the sun, ...
OCT 18, 2006 • Article
Van Dyk Diary: Ramadan in Peshawar
Jere Van Dyk returns to his old haunts in Peshawar and is awed by the faith that permeates life there. Yet violence is just beneath ...