<script data-pm-proxy="intercept"></script><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Beth’s Substack]]></title><description><![CDATA[In-depth stories about the human fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg</url><title>Beth’s Substack</title><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:23:27 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/__u/bwbailey85.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[bwbailey85@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[bwbailey85@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[bwbailey85@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[bwbailey85@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Badger Six fight for post-9/11 Afghan counterparts: The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 152]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday, find Episode 152 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Spotify.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/badger-six-fight-for-post-911-afghan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/badger-six-fight-for-post-911-afghan</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 11:04:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>On Monday, find Episode 152 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Spotify.</span></p><p><span><br>Today&#8217;s guest is retired U.S. Army Colonel Justin Sapp, a member of Team Alpha, the CIA&#8217;s original eight-man team of analysts, linguists, warriors, and tribal experts who went into Afghanistan to defeat al Qaeda in the days immediately following Sept. 11, 2001.</span></p><p><span><br>In this episode, Justin talks about Team Alpha and other early American units' reliance on their Afghan counterparts in the earliest post-9/11 efforts inside Afghanistan. He describes the ongoing efforts of Badger Six, the nonprofit that Team Alpha and supporters have created in order to assist the families of those Afghans who were indispensable to Team Alpha, and who are currently facing uncertainty because of Green Card processing in the pipeline for access to U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.<br></span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;a8fa58a5-aad0-481f-899a-9f6ee0dac8ee&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;bc1430c7-608f-4dc9-989b-88835d6735fe&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;31160977-6e66-47f8-99be-3f76b25925f5&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p><span>About Justin: </span></p><p><span>Justin Sapp is a contingency strategist for Constellis, and recently retired as a US Army Green Beret Colonel following 30 years of exceptionally distinguished service. He received numerous military decorations during his service, including the Defense Superior Service Award and the Bronze Star with &#8220;V&#8221; device.<br><br><br>Find Badger Six at their website: https://badgersix.org/<br><br>About the host:<br><br>Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow her on Instagram or X &#8288;@BWBailey85&#8288;.<br></span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Temporary Protected Status Update Ft. Sonia Norton, Daniel Salazar - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 152]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 152 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/temporary-protected-status-update</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/temporary-protected-status-update</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 11:02:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 152 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</span></p><p><span><br>My guests are Sonia Norton, Director of Advocacy at No One Left Behind, and Daniel Salazar, a refugee and protection policy advisor at Global Refuge.<br><br>We discuss Congressional efforts to restore Temporary Protected Status for our Afghan allies, recent legal decisions that impact processing halts for Afghans, and what both No One Left Behind and Global Refuge are doing as the five-year anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal falls.<br><br>A correction from Daniel on the status of the Dorcas lawsuit: Most of the policies discussed in the Dorcas lawsuit remain vacated. However, the comprehensive re-review of Afghans and others who entered between 2021 and 2025 is allowed to resume. In an order this month, an appeals court sided with the government's motion for a stay pending appeal with respect to that policy. The remainder of the policies-- including the adjudications pause-- remain no longer in effect under the lower court's ruling.<br></span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;2ec17229-6613-4c8d-9654-db9b78f36664&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;d564b901-c18d-4b0b-a975-2e499c53b01d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;737b269a-1f11-4d0d-89d8-86ec53bb51d9&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p><span><br>About the guests:<br>Sonia Norton is the Director of Advocacy at No One Left Behind. Before joining No One Left Behind, she worked in the House of Representatives for five years with members of the House Committees on Armed Services, Judiciary, and Ways and Means. Most recently, she served as the Senior Legislative Assistant for Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), where she led a policy portfolio including Afghan allies, foreign affairs, and judiciary issues. In that role, Sonia was the lead House Democratic staffer for the introduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act and was named one of the Top 10 Policy Staff to Watch. Sonia has also served as a Fulbright-Nehru English Teaching Assistant and was elected for three terms on the Women&#8217;s Congressional Staff Association Board.<br><br>Daniel Salazar is a refugee and protection policy advisor at Global Refuge, the national refugee resettlement agency formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. He does policy and advocacy work on the U.S. refugee admissions program, Afghan and Ukrainian resettlement, and other topics. He has worked on Afghan-related legislation such as the Afghan Adjustment Act, the Afghan SIV program, and CARE authorization since July 2022, first at U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and now at Global Refuge. He is also a coalition member of Evacuate Our Allies and has helped campaigns on Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan and re-parole for Afghans. Before this work, he was a journalist in Kansas and Texas before moving to Washington, DC for his master&#8217;s in foreign service at Georgetown University.<br><br><br><br>About the host: <br>Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;737b269a-1f11-4d0d-89d8-86ec53bb51d9&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Afghan Female Tactical Platoon, Five Years Post-Withdrawal - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 151]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday, find Episode 151 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/afghan-female-tactical-platoon-five</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/afghan-female-tactical-platoon-five</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:04:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>On Monday, find Episode 151 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</span></p><p><span><br>In this episode, we discuss the ongoing effort to find permanency for members of the Female Tactical Platoon, Afghan women who served with their male Afghan National Army Special Operations Command counterparts on vital SOF missions.<br><br>My guests are advocate and combat veteran Michael Scadden, NXT Mission founder and Cultural Support Team veteran Rebekah Edmondson, and FTP member Farida.<br><br>We talk about what the FTP did, why it placed them in danger, and what has happened (or not happened) to protect members of the FTP in the U.S.<br></span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;676f113d-fe90-456d-b5c8-1a28e9b6ab3d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;cb82cf91-2345-4b15-985c-d071caa6c0b5&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;68bdb33a-4e05-4c17-85a3-87093cbc8ef0&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p><span><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</span></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shawn VanDiver & Beth Bailey on Five Years of Advocacy - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 150]]></title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to Episode 150 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/shawn-vandiver-and-beth-bailey-on</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/shawn-vandiver-and-beth-bailey-on</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:02:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Welcome to Episode 150 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. <br><br>Today, I've got a familiar returning guest, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver. This time, we're talking about who we each were before the withdrawal from Afghanistan took place, and who we became as our allies needed assistance.<br><br><br>Find #AfghanEvac here: https://afghanevac.org/<br></span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;195a6091-9dfd-492d-881b-3d00b73e1498&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;1313098c-80d0-49de-a493-a19bb445fa19&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;a8177bb4-09f7-44a2-84df-05eb0bde62d4&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Veteran Jon Singleton on Five-Year Withdrawal Anniversary - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 149]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday, August 3, find Episode 149 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/veteran-jon-singleton-on-five-year</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/veteran-jon-singleton-on-five-year</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:10:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>On Monday, August 3, find Episode 149 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.<br><br>This episode is the beginning of a short series where we'll be diving into the withdrawal from Afghanistan, five years later. My first guest is Jon Singleton, a veteran whose work with Task Force Pineapple was instrumental in helping Afghans as their country fell to the Taliban and the U.S. prepared to depart.<br><br>We talk about the difficulties of processing this period, and return to the events of five years ago.<br></span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;b1f3440b-500c-4351-a344-54e69eff430d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;1cef05bc-2cf9-4db9-b665-2189899ad817&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;06bed61c-2091-4b46-8159-29e15a4a4af8&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><span><br><br>About Jon Singleton: <br>Jon Singleton is a retired Naval Aviator who&#8217;s served in Bosnia, throughout the Middle East, in Afghanistan, and at the Pentagon. For most of the last two decades, he&#8217;s been successfully selling residential real estate in Jacksonville, Florida. He and his business partner, Susan Hopkins recently joined Christie&#8217;s International Real Estate First Coast, and are about to hit their combined 1000th sale! When he is not keeping busy with work or volunteer efforts, he enjoys time with his family in the historic neighborhood of San Marco.<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</span></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shawn VanDiver on V-PRIC, CAS residents, Nazeer Paktyawal - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 148]]></title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to Episode 148 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/shawn-vandiver-on-v-pric-cas-residents</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/shawn-vandiver-on-v-pric-cas-residents</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2026 11:03:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Welcome to Episode 148 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. <br><br>Today, I've got a familiar returning guest, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver. We talk about forthcoming information on the death of Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal after his ICE detention, the situation for Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah,  and the new #AfghanEvac tool, V-PRIC, which stands for Visa Pathways and Relocation Information Center.<br></span></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;44c49e2c-3a47-4ee6-9bcd-1b4735fd6aec&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;4076ffb1-6f17-404c-8a52-2f20315d15f1&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;cdc91068-ee0a-4ea9-9af9-fca4e34df6a3&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p><span><br><br>Find #AfghanEvac here: https://afghanevac.org/<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</span></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mashal Sherullah on supporting Afghan allies in Pakistan - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep 147]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 147 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/mashal-sherullah-on-supporting-afghan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/mashal-sherullah-on-supporting-afghan</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:01:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>On Monday at 7:</span>00 AM ET, find Episode 147 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</p><p>I am joined by Mashal Sherullah, who has spent years advocating for Afghan allies awaiting processing for the Special Immigrant Visa and U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in Pakistan. We discuss the plight of these Afghans who supported the U.S. mission and why it is imperative to resume processing and protections for these vital allies.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;3f2e71fc-da6b-4f9a-bf46-672953e49802&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;96a596e7-da85-4ea3-9e67-7ec36c50537b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7f6396d5-dd33-444d-a1ab-a7f025474721&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><span><br><br>About Mashal Sherullah: <br>is Mashal Sherullah is a former USAID advisor and advocates for Afghan allies who worked with the American military. He spent 16 years working at the intersection of humanitarian response, donor relations, and international development. As a Senior Public Administration Advisor, Mashal worked alongside U.S. personnel to strengthen governance, promote community collaboration, and directly support the U.S. mission&#8212;especially the development mission in Afghanistan&#8212;while also contributing to efforts that safeguarded American personnel. As a Provincial Public Administration Advisor for USAID&#8217;s ISLA program, Mashal led initiatives to strengthen public administration capacity in Laghman, Afghanistan. This included developing and implementing standard operating procedures within provincial government and provincial council offices, while regularly engaging with Afghan government counterparts at the provincial, district, and national levels, including the Independent Directorate of Local Governance in Kabul.<br>While waiting to be evacuated to the U.S. after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Mashal observed the severe challenges faced by Afghan allies in the Special Immigrant Visa and U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, who faced prolonged delays and bureaucratic barriers.<br>In response, he mobilized a network of over 1,500 allies and SIV, P1, and P2 applicants. His advocacy contributed to increased engagement with U.S. Embassy officials, helping raise awareness of urgent cases and systemic processing challenges.<br>Mashal is currently pursuing an MBA in Healthcare Management, with a long-term goal of advancing into healthcare philanthropy and nonprofit leadership focused on improving outcomes for vulnerable populations.<br><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</span></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Robert Billard discusses Afghanistan strategic failures - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep 146]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM, find Episode 146 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/robert-billard-discusses-afghanistan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/robert-billard-discusses-afghanistan</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 11:02:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 7:00 AM, find Episode 146 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</p><p><br>My guest is Robert Billard, an Afghanistan veteran and content writer at Military.com. We chat about his Afghanistan deployment as an IA in 2014-15, about his recent article on controversial Gen. Raziq, and about the strategic failures of the Afghanistan war<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;95da51d1-0a70-40cc-9a02-13613ed217f3&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;894d04a0-1eb8-44b1-a971-4e5a216e8ab1&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p><br>About Robert Billard: </p><p>Robert Billard is a content writer for Military.com and an Afghanistan veteran who joined the Marine Corps in 2005 and has deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom twice. Once as a Rifleman with the 6th Provisional Security Company in 2007, and again as a Logistics Advisor to the Afghan National Security Forces in 2014-2015. He is also a veteran of Resolute Support Mission and numerous named overseas exercises in support of various combatant commanders.</p><p>Robert&#8217;s writings have been featured in professional academic journals such as the Journal of Advanced Military Studies and Marine Corps History and he is a contributing author at We Are The Mighty and the Brownstone Institute. Robert is an avid student of military history and strategy and a vocal acolyte of Carl Von Clausewitz. <br><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/<br><br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[International Committee of the Red Cross' Katharina Ritz - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep 145]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM, find Episode 145 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/international-committee-of-the-red</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/international-committee-of-the-red</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 11:02:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 7:00 AM, find Episode 145 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.</p><p><br>My guest is Katharina Ritz, Head of the Afghanistan Delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Katharina just returned from Kabul, and talks about the various periods in which she has worked in Afghanistan, and about what activities the ICRC is engaged in in Afghanistan at the moment.<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;a8757005-1f53-4efa-a7fa-4e9258a3b4ee&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;fe5fcf93-e353-4fe9-b2df-4a186b01db64&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;778aab4b-9ab3-4cdd-9fcf-d2559c8a8bb5&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br><br>About Katharina Ritz:<br>Katharina Ritz (born in 1967), holds a degree in General and Surgical Nursing and joined the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1996 and carried out assignments in conflict areas worldwide, in particular Sudan, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Rwanda, in positions of Health and Assistance program Coordinator. From 2003 to 2005, she carried out assignments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Central African Republic and Ivory Cost as Mission / Sub Delegation responsible.<br>As Deputy Head of Delegations, she carried out assignments in Iraq (2005 to 2006), Israeli/Occupied Palestinian Territories (2006 to 2009) and was assigned afterwards as Deputy Head of Operations for South Asia based in Geneva from 2009 to 2011. These assignments were followed by positions as Head of Delegation in the Central African Republic (2011 to 2012) and Head of Delegation in Libya (2012 to 2014). After the assignment in Libya, Katharina Ritz completed a Master of Advanced Studies in Civilian Peacebuilding. The studies were followed by a position as Head of Delegation in Iraq (2015 to 2020), a position as ICRC Head of Delegation in Yemen (September 2020 to February 2023) and started in October 2023 an assignment as ICRC Head of Delegation in Afghanistan.<br><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Yaser Yarghal, former ANA Major, talks Unsabotaged Book - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep 144]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM EST, find Episode 144 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/yaser-yarghal-former-ana-major-talks</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/yaser-yarghal-former-ana-major-talks</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 11:02:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 7:00 AM EST, find Episode 144 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</p><p><br>My guest, former ANA Major Yaser Yarghal talks about his upbringing and education in Afghanistan, and how he made his way to the Afghan National Military Academy.<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;879e06dc-1269-479f-acf0-830d70e2fdfd&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>We talk about his service, and his participation in Ranger School and Airborne School, as well as the frustrations in his ANA career that led him to leave Afghanistan and start creating a life, and a business, in Canada.<br><br>Yaser talks about his book, Unsabotaged, which is due out in January 2027.<br></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;91595a02-2eeb-40d7-9f04-c84e89c4b849&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;c2fcbb0c-127f-4a7f-9f4b-62f254a80088&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br><br>About Yaser Yarghal:<br>Yaser Yarghal is a former Afghan Army Major and US Army Ranger and Airborne Graduate who began his military career at the Afghan National Military Academy in 2008 and served in the Afghan National Army until 2020. Born and raised in Khost, Afghanistan, he witnessed the collapse of the Afghan military from the inside before leaving Afghanistan in October 2020 and rebuilding his life in Canada. He is the founder of Unsabotaged, a newsletter and platform about resilience, leadership and building a life nobody can take from you, and is currently writing his memoir of the same name, publishing January 2027.<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shawn VanDiver on Camp As Sayliyah Future, Legal Updates - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 143]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday, find Episode 143 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts with a familiar returning guest, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/shawn-vandiver-on-camp-as-sayliyah</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/shawn-vandiver-on-camp-as-sayliyah</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 10:05:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday, find Episode 143 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts with a familiar returning guest, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver. </p><p>We talk about not only the Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah whom the administration was recently considering sending to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also about the recent legal developments that could impact Afghans.<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;d3412a4e-3d5a-43ad-98ef-715c8a4f0b0f&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;32636aca-fc73-4864-ad70-e1ff35ec1022&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7141b67f-7509-4f2d-bc16-45bcf289cb54&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>Find #AfghanEvac here: https://afghanevac.org/<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gold Star Father Mark Schmitz & The Freedom 13 Healing Camp - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep 142]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday, Memorial Day, find Episode 142 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/gold-star-father-mark-schmitz-and</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/gold-star-father-mark-schmitz-and</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2026 11:01:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday, Memorial Day, find Episode 142 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.<br></p><p>My guest, Gold Star father Mark Schmitz, shares the story of his son, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, who perished on August 26, 2021 alongside 12 U.S. service members and 160 Afghans.<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>Mark and I discuss the continued lack of answers about the events that took place in August 2021, and our hopes for additional information to be forthcoming as a new review nears completion.</p><p><br>Mark also talks about The Freedom 13 Recreational Healing Camps, the 501(c)3 he and his wife have created to commemorate Jared and all 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.<br></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;b42eae78-dba4-4376-8d87-a7a8c30b8637&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;79489696-6af1-44da-abc4-bbdabac0f444&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;1dafe658-1684-445e-99d5-4c602b1a4d8d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br><br>Find The Freedom 13 here: https://thefreedom13.org/<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ellen Smith of Keeping Our Promise brings a good news story - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep 141]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday, find Episode 141 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/ellen-smith-of-keeping-our-promise</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/ellen-smith-of-keeping-our-promise</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 11:01:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday, find Episode 141 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts. </p><p><br>My guest is Ellen Smith, the founder and Executive Director of Keeping Our Promise, who brings a great news story about being able to reunite an Afghan ally and his wife with the baby they were forced to leave behind when making their way to the U.S.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;4264f7c0-0c60-435c-a9a6-271a4d56b069&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>Ellen also talks about several other updates for Afghan friends in the KOP ecosystem, and lets viewers know what is needed to support families here in the U.S.<br></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;91702a42-0878-4246-992d-b7bcceb375d8&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;547e3214-14dd-468b-8a91-16a5a6bb639e&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>Find KOP here:<br></p><p>https://www.keepingourpromise.org/</p><p><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Preserving the stories of advocacy heroes - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 140]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 140 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/preserving-the-stories-of-advocacy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/preserving-the-stories-of-advocacy</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 11:02:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 140 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.</p><p><br>I will be talking about a project that I began over a year ago to preserve the stories of the volunteers, advocates, and other supporters who have been part of the effort to keep Afghans safe and supported in the leadup to and aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal. I also explain how I came to this work, what the effort of supporting Afghans has been like, and what the community around me has meant as my own life went through upheaval in the midst of the chaos.<br><br>I can never thank the people who have been part of this journey enough for their presence and the fortitude they've demonstrated. It has been the honor of a lifetime to witness the efforts people have made - and often continue to make - to fulfill our government's promises to our allies.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;55c31ad1-97b8-4ef8-9fc9-4bde71349081&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;94699521-53bf-4940-9a4e-78581100e219&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e9496180-c0c3-4524-a8bb-42a513fd1272&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p></p><p><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Terror in Afghanistan with Colin Smith, Graham Aikin - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 139]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 139 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/terror-in-afghanistan-with-colin</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/terror-in-afghanistan-with-colin</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 11:03:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 139 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.</p><p>I'm thrilled to bring on two incredible experts on the expansion of terrorism in the Taliban's Afghanistan, Colin Smith, and Graham Aikin.<br><br>We discuss how terror groups have found safe haven in the Taliban's Afghanistan, including al Qaeda and Daesh, as well as groups like ETIM/TIP and TTP. <br></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;485bd63c-ebbb-463a-a4fe-a3d508c0f674&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;2066e4f4-3a5e-48d7-8670-1ed2526d945c&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;3b0e9cb0-0a0f-498f-8673-5b722cde6588&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br><br>About Colin and Graham:<br><br>Colin Smith is the UK Threat Assessment Expert and Coordinator, overseeing the work of the United Nations&#8217; Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which supports implementations of sanctions against the Taliban. The monitoring team also provides biannual assessments of the global threat that Al Qaeda and ISIL and its affiliates pose.  Colin was a British diplomat in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for twenty years, focusing on national security and counter-terrorism.<br>Find the latest UN Monitoring Team assessment here:<br>https://docs.un.org/en/S/2026/44<br><br>Graham Aikin is a part-time PhD student within King's Centre for the Study of Intelligence, where he is researching the resurgence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan since the withdrawal in 2021, with a particular focus on the challenges of intelligence collection. He holds a joint law degree from the University of Central Lancashire and Central Connecticut State University, from where he graduated in 2003. He spent several years as a senior private banker with Coutts &amp; Co, where he developed an extensive knowledge of tax havens, terrorism financing and sanctions, before establishing his own training consultancy in 2012. He has studied extensively the events of 9/11, its antecedents and the subsequent &#8216;Global War on Terror&#8217;. Graham undertook a Master&#8217;s degree in Covert Action, HUMINT and the Psychology of Intelligence Elicitation and his Master&#8217;s dissertation focused on the Investigatory Power&#8217;s Commissioner&#8217;s role in overseeing the UK intelligence agencies treatment of detainees and the sharing of intelligence with their liaison partners. Find Graham&#8217;s latest article here: https://kcsi.uk/kcsi-insights/not-your-fathers-afghanistan-is-the-west-taking-its-eye-off-the-al-qaeda-ball<br><br><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spencer Sullivan and Abdulhaq Sodais' 'Not Our Problem' - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 138]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday April 27 at 7:00 AM EST, find Episode 138 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/spencer-sullivan-and-abdulhaq-sodais</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/spencer-sullivan-and-abdulhaq-sodais</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:03:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday April 27 at 7:00 AM EST, find Episode 138 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.<br></p><p>I&#8217;m bringing on Spencer Sullivan and Abdulhaq Sodais, coauthors of 'Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them' to talk about the story behind their book, and the story that continues where the words end.<br><br>We talk about the deployment in Zabul when Spencer and Abdulhaq met, and the 13-year battle for Spencer to arrive in the U.S. that only concluded this December. <br></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;b1fe3a69-a053-4bcf-8960-66654ca3482e&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;595feae3-9135-42e6-8e1f-236b87d68eb7&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;0f2fb6a4-d974-43af-833a-0144acaf7cff&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e0219357-5296-4eab-8528-c2e8639d773b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>Find more about 'Not Our Problem' here: https://www.notourproblembook.com/<br><br>About Spencer and Abdulhaq:<br>Spencer Sullivan is a U.S. Army combat veteran and has been advocating for Afghan refugees for over a decade. His writing and interviews in support of America&#8217;s Afghan wartime allies have featured in various outlets including the LA Times, CNN, the Associated Press, Fox Business, The Guardian, HuffPost, and Military.com. Spencer holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Arts in organizational leadership from Brandman University. He works in leadership and organization development and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and son.<br>Follow Spencer on Instagram: instagram.com/spencersullivanauthor<br><br>Abdulhaq Sodais is a former interpreter for US forces in Afghanistan where he served for over two years translating for both combat and support units. He is also a strong advocate for refugees, and his ambition is that his and Spencer's book will bring awareness to the refugee experience to a western audience. He is a recent arrival in the United States, having just completed a 13 year effort to get asylum in America in exchange for his service during the war. He is starting a new life in Chicago with his wife with the help of a refugee resettlement organization known as RefugeeOne.<br>Follow Abdulhaq on Instagram: instagram.com/abdulhaqsodaisauthor<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Write an Afghanistan op-ed ft. Daniel Salazar, Sonia Norton - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep 137]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 137 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/write-an-afghanistan-op-ed-ft-daniel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/write-an-afghanistan-op-ed-ft-daniel</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:01:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 7:00 AM ET, find Episode 137 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</p><p><br>I'm thrilled to bring back Daniel Salazar and Sonia Norton for a discussion on updates for Afghans in various U.S. programs and pathways, and the long-awaited discussion on how to write, pitch, and promote an op-ed on Afghanistan that can help move the conversation forward in a positive manner in the current climate</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;fa9c7f5f-35e5-42e8-a31c-75010ed63e07&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;4e3285b1-70d7-4cdc-a382-6bb1c2c46238&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;3db71394-0aba-4db5-bbaf-fc78d36d6373&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p><br><br>About Sonia and Daniel:<br><br>Sonia Norton is the Director of Advocacy at No One Left Behind. Before joining No One Left Behind, she worked in the House of Representatives for five years with members of the House Committees on Armed Services, Judiciary, and Ways and Means. Most recently, she served as the Senior Legislative Assistant for Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), where she led a policy portfolio including Afghan allies, foreign affairs, and judiciary issues. In that role, Sonia was the lead House Democratic staffer for the introduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act and was named one of the Top 10 Policy Staff to Watch. Sonia has also served as a Fulbright-Nehru English Teaching Assistant and was elected for three terms on the Women&#8217;s Congressional Staff Association Board.<br><br>Daniel Salazar is a refugee and protection policy advisor at Global Refuge, the national refugee resettlement agency formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. He does policy and advocacy work on the U.S. refugee admissions program, Afghan and Ukrainian resettlement, and other topics. He has worked on Afghan-related legislation such as the Afghan Adjustment Act, the Afghan SIV program, and CARE authorization since July 2022, first at U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and now at Global Refuge. He is also a coalition member of Evacuate Our Allies and has helped campaigns on Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan and re-parole for Afghans. Before this work, he was a journalist in Kansas and Texas before moving to Washington, DC for his master&#8217;s in foreign service at Georgetown University.<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kieran Ramsey on wrongful detentions in Afghanistan, Iran - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 136]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 0700, find Episode 136 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/kieran-ramsey-on-wrongful-detentions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/kieran-ramsey-on-wrongful-detentions</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:01:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 0700, find Episode 136 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</p><p>My guest is Kieran Ramsey, Chief Investigative Officer at Global Reach. <br><br>Kieran talks about the support Global Reach provides to the families of those wrongfully detained by overseas regimes, and discusses the Taliban's long practice of using hostages to achieve their own goals inside Afghanistan.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7336d3c2-2098-48a4-b1c4-50113d9d4d9d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;74d04e29-7cdf-4c7c-a3bb-0fbe07cccf3b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>We also discuss the current situation for hostages wrongfully held in Iran, whose conditions are unknown in the current conflict.<br></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;bee52964-b618-4d1f-bf72-bc011d52cfc9&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>About Kieran Ramsey:<br>During a 32-year career in federal law enforcement and the U.S. Intelligence Community, Kieran Ramsey spearheaded massive investigations including the Boston Marathon Bombing, the killing of a U.S. diplomat overseas, the assassination of an internationally renowned journalist, and multiple kidnapping/hostage cases, Kieran is also able to harness the power of partnership, across agencies and across governments, in direct support of victims and their families.<br><br>Kieran most recently served at the FBI&#8217;s highest echelon of executive leadership as an Assistant Director and the FBI&#8217;s Senior Representative to a U.S. Intelligence Community agency. This assignment required his resourcefulness and expertise to ensure U.S. Intelligence Community capabilities and authorities were fully integrated not only in hostage situations, but across the entire range of national security threats: counterterrorism, counterespionage, cyber, and transnational organized crime.<br><br>Kieran is well-known as a leader in the hostage space, having served as the third Director of the U.S. Government&#8217;s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, wherein he led the interagency effort through a period of great change that saw the successful return of numerous hostages and wrongful detainees. He further established deep relationships with former hostages, hostage families, and other hostage advocacy groups which continue to this day.<br><br>Kieran&#8217;s other positions across his lengthy career include multiple domestic office postings, as well as cross-cultural assignments as a diplomat, and the senior FBI official in U.S. embassies in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. His reputation as a &#8220;fixer,&#8221; placed him in some of the most challenging assignments, ranging from the Regime Crimes Task Force in Iraq in 2004, to navigating FBI&#8217;s support to local law enforcement during the period of civil unrest in Portland, Oregon in 2020. He also led one of the FBI&#8217;s Evidence Response Teams in New York in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.<br><br>Kieran has been honored with numerous accolades and awards across his career for a variety of investigations including the U.S. Attorney General&#8217;s Award for Distinguished Service, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Award, the International Chiefs of Police Award, and the International Narcotics Officer Association Award. He holds a bachelor&#8217;s degree from Northeastern University and a master&#8217;s degree from Georgetown University, and is a former adjunct faculty member for the FBI.<br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[ODA 595 and VF-213 in 2001 Afghanistan - Part 3 - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 135]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 0700 ET, find Episode 135 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/oda-595-and-vf-213-in-2001-afghanistan-f85</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/oda-595-and-vf-213-in-2001-afghanistan-f85</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 11:02:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 0700 ET, find Episode 135 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.</p><p><br>This will be the third segment in a special sub-series of the podcast in conjunction with The Fighter Pilots' Guide to Living, featuring three Green Berets from ODA 595, Mark Nutsch, Paul Evans, and Mike Elmore, and three members of VF-213, Nate Bailey, Michael Peterson, and Chip King.<br><br>We will talk about the aftermath of the first strafing run that Biff and Tung conducted in support of ODA 595 and the use of that tactic throughout the remainder of VF-213's deployment.<br><br>We also talk about the remaining months of operations that ODA 595 and VF-213 conducting in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the takeaways that each of our guests had from their participation in the early days of the Global War on Terror.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;738f0768-9e09-4276-8fc7-74c516e79188&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;5fb2300f-1639-47da-ab0b-5f0472965e11&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;356ba13d-a77d-48b5-af7b-4fd0bc04712a&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p><br><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[ODA 595 and VF-213 in 2001 Afghanistan - Part 2 - The Afghanistan Project Podcast Ep. 134]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Monday at 0700 ET, find Episode 134 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.]]></description><link>https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/oda-595-and-vf-213-in-2001-afghanistan-204</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bwbailey85.substack.com/p/oda-595-and-vf-213-in-2001-afghanistan-204</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Bailey]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:02:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pF_Y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f42d1ef-c723-470f-adf4-090f96f33c96_160x120.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday at 0700 ET, find Episode 134 of The Afghanistan Project on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.</p><p><br>This will be the second segment in a special sub-series of the podcast in conjunction with The Fighter Pilots' Guide to Living, featuring three Green Berets from ODA 595, Mark Nutsch, Paul Evans, and Mike Elmore, and three members of VF-213, Nate Bailey, Michael Peterson, and Chip King.<br><br>We will be diving into the evolving conditions inside and overhead in Afghanistan as Green Berets arrived in the country, and we talk about the difficulties of calling in close air support in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom.<br><br>Towards the end of the episode, we address the single incident on November 5, 2001 that shifted the way that F-14 Tomcats would support ground forces working to push back the Taliban .<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;c87e8923-33de-4ea4-b7f8-6142e9f62a6f&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p> </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;c56cc958-0f70-4958-b5a4-60541bf371bf&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;186ce924-820b-4401-ab64-50500e05523e&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><br>About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. <br><br>Follow Beth: <br>on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ <br>on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 <br>on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 <br>on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bwbailey85.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Beth&#8217;s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>