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On the show
From 12 epsHost
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Recent episodes
From Kabul to Bamiyan - Afghanistan’s War, Ruin and Resilience | Jenny Matthews
Jun 7, 2026
45m 00s
How the CIA Defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan | Milton Bearden (Part 3)
May 23, 2026
26m 24s
How the CIA Defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan | Milton Bearden (Part 2)
Apr 26, 2026
26m 07s
How the CIA Defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan | Milton Bearden (Part 1)
Apr 3, 2026
33m 34s
Inside The Secret CIA Mission that Toppled the Taliban - Justin Sapp (Part 3)
Mar 8, 2026
40m 16s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/7/26 | ![]() From Kabul to Bamiyan - Afghanistan’s War, Ruin and Resilience | Jenny Matthews✨ | photographyAfghanistan+5 | Jenny Matthews | — | KabulBamiyan+1 | Afghanistanphotography+8 | — | 45m 00s | |
| 5/23/26 | ![]() How the CIA Defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan | Milton Bearden (Part 3)✨ | CIA operationsSoviet-Afghan War+4 | Milton Bearden | CIAISI | PakistanAfghanistan+1 | CIASoviet Union+6 | — | 26m 24s | |
| 4/26/26 | ![]() How the CIA Defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan | Milton Bearden (Part 2)✨ | CIA operationsSoviet withdrawal+5 | Milton Bearden | CIAWashington+1 | — | CIASoviet Union+8 | — | 26m 07s | |
| 4/3/26 | ![]() How the CIA Defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan | Milton Bearden (Part 1)✨ | CIA operationsSoviet-Afghan War+4 | Milton Bearden | CIAISI | AfghanistanPakistan+2 | CIASoviet Union+7 | — | 33m 34s | |
| 3/8/26 | ![]() Inside The Secret CIA Mission that Toppled the Taliban - Justin Sapp (Part 3)✨ | CIA missionsTaliban+4 | Justin Sapp | CIAU.S. Army | BamiyanAfghanistan | CIA missionTaliban+7 | — | 40m 16s | |
| 2/20/26 | ![]() Mark Urban: I Marched Into Kabul with Ahmad Shah Massoud (E34)✨ | journalismAfghanistan+4 | Mark Urban | AcastDawood Sarkhosh+1 | — | AfghanistanMark Urban+5 | — | 1h 05m 23s | |
| 2/16/26 | ![]() Inside the Secret CIA Mission That Toppled the Taliban - Justin Sapp (Part 2)✨ | CIA missionTaliban+4 | Justin Sapp | CIAU.S. Army+1 | BamiyanAfghanistan+1 | CIA missionTaliban+7 | — | 32m 22s | |
| 2/8/26 | ![]() Inside the Secret CIA Mission That Toppled the Taliban - Justin Sapp (Part 1)✨ | CIA missionTaliban+5 | Justin Sapp | — | BamiyanAfghanistan | CIA missionTaliban+5 | — | 28m 00s | |
| 1/10/26 | ![]() Tom Tugendhat: The pain and costs of our defeat in Afghanistan (E69)✨ | Afghanistanwar outcome+4 | Tom Tugendhat | AcastFacebook+1 | — | AfghanistanTom Tugendhat+5 | — | 1h 02m 45s | |
| 12/20/25 | ![]() Charlie Gammell: How I fell in love with Herat (E68)✨ | diplomacyhistory+4 | Charlie Gammell | The Pearl of Khorasan: A History of Herat | AfghanistanIran+2 | Charlie GammellHerat+6 | — | 47m 13s | |
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| 11/29/25 | ![]() James Cowan: From Helmand to HALO - a British Commander’s Remarkable Afghanistan Story (E67)✨ | NATO campaignAfghanistan+4 | James Cowan | Halo Trust | AfghanistanKabul+1 | James CowanAfghanistan+6 | — | 46m 47s | |
| 11/1/25 | ![]() Al Carns: Afghanistan captures your soul (E66)✨ | military experienceAfghanistan+4 | Al Carns MP | Camp Bastion | AfghanistanUK+1 | AfghanistanAl Carns+7 | — | 45m 28s | |
| 10/14/25 | ![]() Fred Smith: Songs, diplomacy and falling in love with Uruzgan (E65) | Fred Smith is an Australian diplomat, author, singer and songwriter who served alongside Australian forces in Uruzgan, as well as in Kabul. He didn’t just take his diplomatic skills to the country, but his guitar too. He wrote songs and held concerts there. He has released two albums, Dust of Uruzgan and The Sparrows of Kabul, and two books of the same titles, which tell the stories behind his songs, as well as his personal memoirs and reflections.In this interview, he shares his story and reflections on the complexities of Afghanistan, particularly Uruzgan — how he came to love the place despite his initial reservations about the campaign before accepting the assignment, and the grief he feels over what has happened to the country since.👍🏼 Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Fred Smith & Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 9/27/25 | ![]() Zalmay Khalilzad: My life, my story, my mission (From Bonn to Doha Talks) - Part 2 (E64) | Born to a mid-level government official and an illiterate mother in Afghanistan’s northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Zalmay Khalilzad has a remarkable and, in many ways, inspiring story. As a teenager, he travelled to America through a cultural exchange programme in 1996 – an experience that had a profound, life-changing impact on him.After completing a PhD at the University of Chicago, he joined the US government and rose through the ranks, working for Reagan, the Bushes and Trump. The 9/11 attacks and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan gave him the opportunity to become America’s all-powerful fixer in the country. He later served as US ambassador to Iraq, then to the United Nations, and returned to Afghanistan, where he negotiated America’s withdrawal deal with the Taliban – a deal that paved the way for the group’s recapture of power in August 2021.In this Part 2 of his tell-all interview, he recounts his story, covering his roles in Afghanistan from the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks through to the Doha talks, and what has happened since. He end with a message for the younger generation of Afghan diaspora in the West. Did he aspire to become President of Afghanistan? Was he sympathetic towards the Taliban? These questions, and more, are answered.👍🏼 Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 9/18/25 | ![]() Zalmay Khalilzad: My life, my story, my mission (From Kabul to the White House) - Part 1 (E63) | Born to a mid-level government official and an illiterate mother in Afghanistan’s northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Zalmay Khalilzad has a remarkable and, in many ways, inspiring story. As a teenager, he travelled to America through a cultural exchange programme in 1996 – an experience that had a profound, life-changing impact on him. After completing a PhD at the University of Chicago, he joined the US government and rose through the ranks, working for Reagan, the Bushes and Trump. The 9/11 attacks and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan gave him the opportunity to become America’s all-powerful fixer in the country. He later served as US ambassador to Iraq, then to the United Nations, and returned to Afghanistan, where he negotiated America’s withdrawal deal with the Taliban – a deal that paved the way for the group’s recapture of power in August 2021.In this tell-all interview, he recounts his story. Part 1 covers his childhood, teenage years in Kabul, his falling in love with America, and his path into the US government.👍🏼 Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 8/25/25 | ![]() Alexander Matheou: Afghanistan's humanitarian emergency (E62) | Alexander Matheou, Regional Director for Asia Pacific of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC). In this interview he unpacks the scale of Afghanistan’s humanitarian emergency. In the past year, over two million people have been forced back from Iran and Pakistan - returning to drought, collapsing livelihoods, and shrinking international aid. Matheou shares first-hand accounts from the borders, the daily struggles of returnees, and why long-term investment, not just short-term relief, is vital for the country’s survival and dignity.👍🏼 Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 8/14/25 | ![]() Taliban anniversary special: Four years of madness | Fereshta Abbasi (E61) | On 15 August 2021, the Taliban captured Kabul, reclaiming power after 20 years of war. Despite promises to the contrary, they have imposed severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls, ethnic minorities, free speech, and all civil liberties.Marking the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, shares her reflections and thoughts on the future.👍🏼 Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 8/4/25 | ![]() Heidi Meyer: Time to recognise the Taliban? (E60) | Heidi Meyer is a former NATO, Pentagon, and US State Department official with over a decade of experience in Afghanistan, including time spent working inside the Arg Palace. In this interview, she shares candid reflections on her time in the country — from witnessing widespread corruption and travelling across Afghanistan, to whether the Taliban should be recognised, along with some weird and wonderful stories.👍🏼 Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 7/8/25 | ![]() Nathalie Paarlberg: A cultural history of Afghanistan (E59) | Nathalie Paarlberg is an art historian and the Chief Operating Officer at Turquoise Mountain. In this interview, she takes us on a journey through Afghanistan’s rich cultural history and art, as well as sharing her personal story of living and working in the country for several years. Her book, 'Je Ogen Zijn Mooi' (Your Eyes Are Beautiful), has been published in the Netherlands.Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friendsCover photo: © Jeanette Huisman📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 6/12/25 | ![]() Mary Beard: Taliban, women and lessons from history (E58) | In this exclusive and gripping interview, acclaimed historian Professor Mary Beard explores how the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan reflects enduring patterns of patriarchal control throughout history. Drawing on examples and stories of ancient Greek and Roman history, Professor Beard examines how societies have historically silenced women, excluded them from public life, and regulated their behaviour through coercion, custom, and control.Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 6/5/25 | ![]() Pascal Maitre: Afghanistan through my lens (E57) | Pascal Maitre is a world-renowned French photojournalist whose decades of work from around the world, particularly in Afghanistan, have produced some of the most iconic images of people, war, culture, nature, and more.He first travelled to Afghanistan in the 1970s and has since covered the Soviet–Afghan War and the Mujahideen civil war; he travelled through Bamiyan and Hazarajat, capturing breathtaking photos of the Buddhas in 1996, and spent two weeks with Ahmad Shah Massoud, during which he took some of his most iconic photographs. His lens documented the looting of the Kabul Museum in July 2000, the Pashtun communities of the east, Kabul in 2018, Buzkashi in northern Afghanistan, and life under the Taliban after the group's return in August 2021.In this interview he shares his and the stories behind his photographs. Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 5/18/25 | ![]() David Tyson: A CIA spy's story in Afghanistan (Part 3) (E56) | David Tyson is a retired CIA officer who served for 25 years, much of it in Central and South Asia. He cultivated relationships with anti-Taliban leaders and commanders in northern Afghanistan prior to the 9/11 attacks, making multiple trips into the country and meeting figures such as Ahmad Shah Massoud. A member of Team Alpha - whose story was told in a previous episode with Toby Harnden - David played a key role in organising forces behind Taliban lines. After taking Mazar-i-Sharif in November 2001, he faced a violent uprising of over 400 al-Qaeda fighters in Qala-i-Jangi, where he had to fight for his life. For his actions, he was awarded the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Cross, the Agency’s highest award for valour, as well as the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.In this interview, he shares his story in detail. In this final instalment - Part 3 - we continue from where we left off in Part 2. David recounts the inside story of the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, the circumstances surrounding it, and the capture and interrogation of hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. He explains how the Qala-i-Jangi uprising began, and how he managed to survive it. He then reflects on his experiences, shares his views on the current situation and the Taliban, and recounts stories involving General Dostum.Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 5/11/25 | ![]() David Tyson: A CIA spy's story in Afghanistan (Part 2) (E55) | David Tyson is a retired CIA officer who served for 25 years, much of it in Central and South Asia. He cultivated relationships with anti-Taliban leaders and commanders in northern Afghanistan prior to the 9/11 attacks, making multiple trips into the country and meeting figures such as Ahmad Shah Massoud. A member of Team Alpha - whose story was told in a previous episode with Toby Harnden - David played a key role in organising forces behind Taliban lines. After taking Mazar-i-Sharif in November 2001, he faced a violent uprising of over 400 al-Qaeda fighters in Qala-i-Jangi, where he had to fight for his life. For his actions, he was awarded the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Cross, the Agency’s highest award for valour, as well as the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.In this interview he shares his story in detail. In this Part 2, we carry on his story from Part 1, David's pre 9/11 relationships and engagements with anti-Taliban commanders, joining Team Alpha, joining General Dostum behind Taliban line, the capture of Mazar-i-Sharif and...Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 5/3/25 | ![]() David Tyson: A CIA spy's story in Afghanistan (Part 1) (E54) | David Tyson is a retired CIA officer who served for 25 years, much of it in Central and South Asia. He cultivated relationships with anti-Taliban leaders and commanders in northern Afghanistan prior to the 9/11 attacks, making multiple trips into the country and meeting figures such as Ahmad Shah Massoud. A member of Team Alpha - whose story was told in a previous episode with Toby Harnden - David played a key role in organising forces behind Taliban lines. After taking Mazar-i-Sharif in November 2001, he faced a violent uprising of over 400 al-Qaeda fighters in Qala-i-Jangi, where he had to fight for his life. For his actions, he was awarded the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Cross, the Agency’s highest award for valour, as well as the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.In this interview he shares his story in detail. In this Part 1, he gives an account of his background, what made him interested in Central Asia, his initial work in Afghanistan, the CIA’s policy on Afghanistan in the years preceding the 9/11 attacks, and his meetings with Ahmad Shah Massoud and others.Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/27/25 | ![]() Sir Rodric Braithwaite: Inside the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (Part 2) (E53) | Sir Rodric Braithwaite is a former British diplomat and author who served as ambassador to the Soviet Union. He has written extensively on Russia and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, including in his acclaimed book Afgantsy.In this interview, he offers a rare insight into how Soviet leaders came to the decision to invade Afghanistan, why the country became strategically significant, the role of communism and Afghan leadership at the time, how the Soviet intervention differed from the British and later NATO-led invasions, the legacies they left behind, witnessing the fall of the Soviet Union and more.📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTubeProducer | Host: Roh YakobiAssistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat YakobiMusic ©: Dawood SarkhoshEmail: hello@rohyakobi.comInstagram: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobiX: @TheAfgPod & @RohYakobi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
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