logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
10m 19s

48. CIA, Afghanistan, and The Rest Is Cl...

Goalhanger
About this episode

In 2021, US troops withdrew from Afghanistan, ending a conflict that had been brutally fought for almost 20 years. While the news dominated the headlines, fewer may have heard the story of when the CIA first entered Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11. Today Katty and Anthony are joined by former CIA analyst and host of Goalhanger’s latest podcast, The Rest Is Classified, David McCloskey, to discuss this fascinating story.


To hear the full episode, search The Rest Is Classified wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
118. Trump is Destroying American Democracy
Is Pam Bondi turning Trump’s retribution campaign into government policy? Why does Stephen Miller still hold so much power in Trump’s White House? And, is the government shutdown backfiring on Republicans? Join Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci as they answer all these questions a ... Show More
35m 42s
Oct 6
117. Can Trump End the War in Gaza?
What is Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza? What will happen in the negotiations between Netanyahu and Hamas? And, what is going on in Chicago? Join Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci as they answer all these questions and more. Become a Founding Member: Go deeper into US politics every ... Show More
36m 46s
Oct 2
Did Ronald Reagan Create Trump? (Part 5)
**Founding Members can listen to the entire Reagan series now: sign up at therestispoliticsus.com.** In the final episode of the Reagan series, Katty and Anthony dive into the explosive Iran-Contra scandal — the secret arms deals, shredded documents, and the moment Reagan’s presi ... Show More
10m 52s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
348. Syria, Afghanistan, and The Rest Is Classified
It has been thirteen years since Bashar al-Assad triggered a civil war which would kill hundreds of thousands of people and devastate Syria. Recent events have shown just how far his rule has shattered the nation. Today Alastair and Rory are joined by former CIA Syria Analyst Dav ... Show More
16m 33s
Dec 2024
3. CIA vs the Taliban: Behind Enemy Lines (Ep 1)
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 w ... Show More
47m 43s
Apr 2024
An Untold Story in Afghanistan
They were scenes of utter desperation and chaos: thousands of Afghans crowded outside Kabul’s airport, as American troops withdrew and the Taliban swept the country in August 2021. In a congressional hearing last month, former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley blamed the ... Show More
59m 2s
Sep 23
The 9/11 Files: The CIA’s Secret Mission Gone Wrong | Ep 1
A former FBI agent who was embedded in the CIA’s Bin Laden unit, Mark Rossini, claims the CIA was fully aware that the 9/11 hijackers were in the United States planning an attack. Rather than inform the FBI, the CIA tried to recruit two of the hijackers for a “false-flag” operati ... Show More
26m 30s
Nov 2022
Episode 4 - Into the Archives: Why Does CIA Have Historians?
On this episode of The Langley Files, CIA's Chief Historian joins Walter and Dee to talk about the Agency's cadre of in-house historians. They'll discuss how these officers' work studying the past supports CIA's mission in the present, what it's like going through the Agency's ar ... Show More
31m 59s
Jun 2025
54. Bin Laden vs the CIA: 9/11 (Ep 4)
On a clear September morning, the American homeland was shattered, revealing a vulnerability unforeseen for nearly two centuries. But, how did Osama bin Laden, soon to become the world's most wanted terrorist, orchestrate the largest mass murder in American history? What was the ... Show More
44m 56s
Aug 15
Replay | The Early Internet & 9/11 Conspiracies | Jordan Klepper Fingers the Conspiracy
Jordan Klepper has heard a lot of 9/11 conspiracy theories, including this shiny emerald: Osama bin Laden was a CIA operative named Tim Ossman. Together with Dr. Joan Donovan, research director of Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Jordan unpacks h ... Show More
1h 18m
Jan 2025
Goodbye, Joe: Biden's Legacy (Part 1)
President Biden’s final week in the Oval Office coincided with an historic ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Both he and President-Elect Donald Trump were quick to claim credit for the deal, with Biden beginning his farewell address by highlighting his administration’ ... Show More
40m 32s
Jun 2025
55. Bin Laden vs the CIA: The Hunt for the World's Most Wanted (Ep 5)
A decade after 9/11, Osama bin Laden remained at large, a constant "running sore" for the US government. But how did a fleeting glimpse of a tall guy with a beard and the interrogation of a high-value detainee finally set the CIA on the right path? And what was the decision that ... Show More
58m 46s
Apr 2025
Signal chats, leaks, and sackings... What's going on in the Pentagon?
There’s trouble in the Pentagon - again! Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump have dismissed new reports that the defence secretary sent details of confidential military plans to his wife, brother, and personal lawyer on Signal. They both criticised journalists at the annual White House ... Show More
27m 31s