Avsnittssammanfattning
In this episode, I sit down with acclaimed journalist and author Jon Lee Anderson to trace Afghanistan’s long road to 9/11 through the eyes of someone who witnessed or followed much of it firsthand. Jon first travelled into Afghanistan in the late 1980s, reporting from the front lines of the war against the Soviet Union and spending time with the Mujahideen. Over the decades that followed, he witnessed the rise of the Arab jihadists, the emergence of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, Afghanistan’s devastating civil war, the rise of the Taliban, the post-9/11 intervention, and ultimately the return of the Taliban to power. We talk about the people he met along the way, the shifting alliances and loyalties, the warning signs that were visible long before 9/11, and why he came to believe that the Taliban would eventually prevail. Jon Lee Anderson is a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and one of the most respected foreign correspondents of his generation. His reporting from Afghanistan spans more than three…
In this episode, I sit down with acclaimed journalist and author Jon Lee Anderson to trace Afghanistan’s long road to 9/11 through the eyes of someone who witnessed or followed much of it firsthand. Jon first travelled into Afghanistan in the late 1980s, reporting from the front lines of the war against the Soviet Union and spending time with the Mujahideen. Over the decades that followed, he witnessed the rise of the Arab jihadists, the emergence of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, Afghanistan’s devastating civil war, the rise of the Taliban, the post-9/11 intervention, and ultimately the return of the Taliban to power. We talk about the people he met along the way, the shifting alliances and loyalties, the warning signs that were visible long before 9/11, and why he came to believe that the Taliban would eventually prevail. Jon Lee Anderson is a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and one of the most respected foreign correspondents of his generation. His reporting from Afghanistan spans more than three…
Avsnitt
Afghanistan: The Road to 9/11 | Jon Lee Anderson (Part 1)
LyssnatIn this episode, I sit down with acclaimed journalist and author Jon Lee Anderson to trace Afghanistan’s long road to 9/11 through the eyes of someone who witnessed or followed much of it firsthand. Jon first travelled into Afghanistan in the late 1980s, reporting from the front lines of the war against the Soviet Union and spending time with the Mujahideen. Over the decades that followed, he witnessed the rise of the Arab jihadists, the emergence of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, Afghanistan’s devastating civil war, the rise of the Taliban, the post-9/11 intervention, and ultimately the return of the Taliban to power. We talk about the people he met along the way, the shifting alliances and loyalties, the warning signs that were visible long before 9/11, and why he came to believe that the Taliban would eventually prevail. Jon Lee Anderson is a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and one of the most respected foreign correspondents of his generation. His reporting from Afghanistan spans more than three…
Inside the Plot That Killed Ahmad Shah Massoud
LyssnatOn 9 September 2001, two al-Qaeda operatives posing as journalists assassinated Ahmad Shah Massoud, just two days before the 9/11 attacks. But how did they manage to get so close to him? In this excerpt from my exclusive interview with veteran New Yorker journalist Jon Lee Anderson, he discusses his investigation into Massoud’s assassination, the route the killers took through Northern Alliance territory, and the local figures who helped them along the way. Anderson explains why he believes Abdul Rasul Sayyaf was directly involved in the plot to assassinate Massoud, as well as the questions he had about other senior figures in Massoud’s circle. He also reveals that British intelligence later approached him and said they too believed Sayyaf was involved in Massoud’s murder. This is an excerpt from the interview. The full exclusive conversation with Jon Lee Anderson will be released soon. 👍🏼 Support the show: Leave stars, comments, share with friends 📺 Watch/Subscribe on YouTube Producer | Host: Roh Yakobi…
The Inside Story of Hamid Karzai’s Rise to Power | Don Parnell (Part 3)
LyssnatMore than two decades after helping overthrow the Taliban and witnessing the birth of Afghanistan’s new government, Don Parnell looks back at what became of the country — and the people — he left behind. In the final part of this exclusive three-part interview, the former CIA Chief of Ground Branch reflects on the aftermath of the 2001 campaign, his relationship with Hamid Karzai, and the extraordinary experiences that followed the fall of Kandahar. Parnell shares some of the more human — and at times surprisingly amusing — stories from those days: the personalities he encountered, the friendships forged under extraordinary circumstances, and the strange, mundane and occasionally absurd problems that existed alongside the deadly serious business of war. His recollections offer a glimpse of Afghanistan rarely captured in official histories: not simply strategy, intelligence and politics, but the people, humour and everyday realities behind them. He also recalls returning to Afghanistan and being honoured by…
The Inside Story of Hamid Karzai’s Rise to Power | Don Parnell (Part 2)
LyssnatAs Hamid Karzai emerged as Afghanistan’s new interim leader, the Taliban’s first regime was collapsing. But behind the scenes, the final days of Taliban rule in their Pashtun heartland, were shaped as much by negotiations as by military force. In Part 2 of this 3 parts exclusive interview, former CIA Chief of Ground Branch Don Parnell recounts witnessing Hamid Karzai’s acceptance of the interim presidency, the secret negotiations that led to the surrender of Kandahar, and entering the city alongside Karzai as Mullah Omar slipped away. He describes establishing a base at Mullah Omar’s residence, the removal of the Taliban flag, the confusion surrounding Omar’s escape, and the remarkable scenes as Kandahar celebrated the end of Taliban rule with music, kites and a return to public life. Parnell also reflects on Hamid Karzai’s leadership during those pivotal days, the complex tribal politics that shaped the campaign, and offers a candid assessment of why he believes the West ultimately failed in Afghanistan.…
The Inside Story of Hamid Karzai’s Rise to Power | Don Parnell (Part 1)
LyssnatOn 14 November 2001, a small CIA team and U.S. Special Forces secretly inserted Hamid Karzai into southern Afghanistan. Less than a month later, Karzai would become Afghanistan’s interim leader. In Part 1 of this exclusive interview, Don Parnell, former CIA Chief of Ground Branch, who was by Karzai’s side throughout the mission, tells the inside story of one of the most consequential operations of the war in Afghanistan. Parnell recounts how the CIA assembled the mission in the aftermath of 9/11, the dangerous helicopter insertion into Uruzgan, working with Pashtun tribal elders, and the race to build a southern uprising against the Taliban. He also describes surviving behind Taliban lines with little food or water, the devastating U.S. friendly-fire strike that nearly killed Hamid Karzai, and witnessing the moment Karzai learned he had been chosen to lead Afghanistan’s new post-Taliban government. A rare first-hand account from one of the CIA officers at the centre of the campaign that toppled the Taliban.…