Episode fifty-five: BREAKING: The Taliban Take Over Afghanistan

The Taliban have seized control of Afghanistan. On this episode, special coverage of the transfer of power. We begin the show with an interview with Mike Jason. He’s a retired army colonel who served for 24 years on active duty. He lead combat units around the world including in Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. He talks to me about what went wrong in Afghanistan, If he saw this coming, what needs to happen next, and more. Then we transition to Kabul, where I talk to a journalist. He has requested the we not identify him for his protection but we are calling him Ashraf. He tells me what Kabul looks like now, how women are being treated by the Taliban, If he feels betrayed by the US’ redraw from Afghanistan, and more.

Here are some big topics that Ashraf updated us on:

Life in Kabul is getting back to normal

The Kabul airport is claiming down although Ashraf saw “Thousands” of people scrambling to get into the airport.

The Talibans promises differ from their actions.

There are not very many women on the streets of Kabul.

Most women are covered if they go out.

When I asked him about if he felt betrayed by the US’ withdrawal of troops he said, “Now in a critical situation, they are leaving everything behind. In 20 years we had gained a lot of things but now it seems everything is gone. But still we are sparkling in the hope that everything is getting back to normal.”

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