logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
40m 33s

5. CIA vs the Taliban: Bin Laden's Troja...

Goalhanger
About this episode
Mazar i-Sharif has fallen without much of a fight. The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan is looking all the more shaky. It seems as if the American policy to work with the warlords is paying dividends. Enemy fighters are surrendering to them. But is it all too rosy? In the centre of Mazar i-Sharif, the Americans take 400 Al-Qaeda captives to Qala-i-Jangi, the Fo ... Show More
Up next
Sep 13
193. The KGB in Iran: Defecting to MI6 with Ben Macintyre (Ep 1)
A KGB officer is recruited by MI6 in Iran at a time of revolutionary upheaval. His intelligence helped shape the Cold War. But how far is agent Redwood motivated by some rather personal difficulties? Listen as David and Gordon are joined by renowned author and journalist, Ben Mac ... Show More
45m 49s
Sep 9
192. 9/11: The War on Terror (Ep 6)
What was the nature of the intelligence failures leading up to 9/11? Could the attacks have been prevented? And what is the enduring impact, 25 years on, of that grim day in September 2001? Listen as David and Gordon reach the dramatic conclusion of their exploration of the 9/11 ... Show More
57m 17s
Sep 6
191. 9/11: The Twin Towers Fall (Ep 5)
What happened on 9/11? This is the day itself, as seen through the eyes of those who lived and died… Listen as David and Gordon take us through the day that changed America, forever. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... Show More
48m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
The Rise of the Taliban
<p>Is it possible that the Taliban of today are more fanatical than before? American and Coalition troops recently fought a bitter, 20-year war against them following the seismic events of 9/11. On August the 15th we mark the end of that conflict, two years after the last Western ... Show More
25m 28s
Apr 2023
Afghanistan: How the Taliban Won
In August 2021, Afghanistan's capital city Kabul, was captured by the Taliban. With scenes of panic, anarchy, and chaos splashed across every major news outlet - it marked the final moments of the War in Afghanistan. With more than 123,000 individuals evacuated by the US Coalitio ... Show More
37m 38s
Dec 2024
48. CIA, Afghanistan, and The Rest Is Classified
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 ar ... Show More
10m 19s
Aug 2021
The Fall of Afghanistan
<p><i>This episode contains strong language. </i></p><p>On Sunday, the president of Afghanistan fled the country; the Taliban seized control of Kabul, the capital; and the American-backed government collapsed.</p><p>One outspoken critic of the Taliban — a 33-year-old Kabul reside ... Show More
23m 52s
Mar 2020
The Almost-Peace Deal
<p>After years of false starts, the United States has signed a landmark deal with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan. We traveled to the front lines of the war — and to the signing ceremony in Doha, Qatar — to investigate whether peace is actually possible.</p><p>Guest: <a ... Show More
32m 29s
Aug 2021
America’s Miscalculations, Afghanistan’s Collapse
<p>The last few days in Afghanistan have been chaotic as the Taliban retake control of the country.</p><p>The debacle can be traced to a number of assumptions that guided the execution of the U.S. withdrawal from the country after two decades of war.</p><p>How could those assumpt ... Show More
23m 58s