America knew Al-Qaeda were behind the 9/11 attacks before the day was out. They knew they were being sheltered by the Taliban in Afghanistan and so the CIA went after them. Small teams were dropped behind enemy lines with bags of cash and very little else, instructed to link up with Afghan warlords like Abdul Rashid Dostum. It proved to be a devastating comb ... Show More
Jan 28
122. Kim Philby: An Assassin In Spain (Ep 2)
Kim Philby has been recruited by the communists to spy on the growing fascist movement across Europe, but he can’t seem to penetrate the intelligence services. So, like all men with access to an old boys’ network in 20th century Britain, he asks a friend for a job. In this episod ... Show More
1h 1m
Dec 2023
Ep. 351 - Ian Fritz (U.S. Air Force / 'What The Taliban Told Me')
At eighteen, Ian Fritz joined the Air Force out of necessity and was soon selected to become an Airborne Cryptologic Linguist in the war in Afghanistan. Over the course of two tours, Fritz listened to the Taliban for hundreds of hours, all over the country night and day, in momen ... Show More
1h 38m
Jun 2025
Foxtrot in Kandahar, Part 2: Showdown in Takhteh-Pol | CIA
In late 2001, veteran CIA Officer Duane Evans deployed to Afghanistan as part of the US response to 9/11. This is his story. In Part 2, Duane and Team Foxtrot make the perilous journey to Kandahar. But the Afghan city proves to be no safe haven. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets ... Show More
51m 49s
Jun 2021
WTH is going on in Afghanistan? Gen. Jack Keane on the US withdrawal, Taliban takeover, and Biden’s failure to learn from history
Twenty years after 9/11, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is moving faster than expected, and so is the Taliban’s takeover. The Taliban have already taken more than 50 of the country’s 400 districts since May, with the US intelligence community predicting that the Afghan govern ... Show More
51m 16s
Aug 2025
Mossad, Terrifying CIA Technology, Blackwater & The Most Secret CIA Unit | John Kiriakou
John Kiriakou served 15 years in the CIA as a Case Officer and as CIA's Head of Counterterrorism Operations in Pakistan where he lead the raid that captured Abu Zubaydah. After his CIA career, he blew the whistle on the CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Program.John’s Links:Substack: ... Show More
4h 18m
Oct 2025
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3
Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit, reveals how the Bush and Clinton administrations repeatedly failed to act on Al-Qaeda. Despite multiple clear warnings, they slashed counterterrorism funding and called off numerous chances to take out Bin Laden—decisions ... Show More
23m 18s
Feb 2025
True Spies Classic: Blinking Red | CIA
In this True Spies Classic, CIA analyst Gina Bennett shows Vanessa Kirby the origins of America's most infamous enemy. Throughout the 1990s, Osama bin Laden launched a series of attacks on American interests at home and abroad. Operating in the man's world of counter-terrorism, G ... Show More
50m 28s