THIS IS CNN: “[The Taliban are] just chanting ‘death to America’ but they seem friendly at the same time. It’s utterly bizarre,” says CNN’s Clarissa Ward.

But perhaps not that friendly: “Ward said those out on the street are ‘mainly’ Taliban, and that there are notably ‘far fewer women’ roaming about than normal. In fact, Ward said she herself was asked to step back. ‘They’ve just told me to stand to the side because I’m a woman.’”

As Robert Spencer notes: “witless Western feminists will continue to don hijabs in solidarity with alleged victims of ‘Islamophobia,’ while the real women of Afghanistan suffer if they dare to venture out without a hijab.” Which brings us to this “unexpected” juxtaposition of CNN’s Ward:

Chanting “Death to America” while seemingly friendly is of course old territory for CNN:

* Afghanistan: Taliban vows to respect rights of women, as long as they wear hijab.