Welcome to Episode 18 of The Afghanistan Project Podcast, where hosts Mikael Cook and Beth Bailey highlight the struggles of Afghans living under Taliban rule, and the efforts of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and political affiliations who have stepped up to provide support to the people of Afghanistan in the chaos that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

This week’s guest is Brian Castner, a weapons investigator at Amnesty International who was part of the research team behind a June 2023 report that uncovered evidence of Taliban war crimes and collective punishment in northern Afghanistan’s Panjshir province.

Brian told us about his work documenting the crimes that took place prior to and during the fall of Afghanistan, which led him to be in Kabul at the time of the Taliban takeover in August 2021. We discussed the variety of crimes that were taking place at the time of the fall, and the impossibility of documenting every incident – particularly of the reprisal killings that were taking place around the country when the Taliban began to target their former enemies for death.

Brian gave us insights into how Amnesty International gathers evidence of the crimes it is able to investigate and prove, and we discussed some of the findings in the war crimes report in Panjshir, as well as the steps the international community can take to ensure accountability in the future. While many of Amnesty International’s recommendations in the report are for the Taliban, we also discussed the likelihood of the Taliban changing their behavior.

More about Brian Castner and Amnesty International:

Find Brian on Twitter @Brian_Castner.

Amnesty International’s most recent report on collective punishment in Panjshir can be found here. Amnesty International’s additional reporting mentioned in the episode includes a report on crimes documented during the fall of Afghanistan, a May 2023 report on Taliban gender persecution, and one of several articles on targeting of Hazara members of the former Afghan government. Follow Amnesty International’s work on Twitter @amnesty.

About the hosts:

Mikael Cook was an Army non-commissioned officer and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He was an active member of the #DigitalDunkirk movement to evacuate our Afghan allies in August of 2021. You can follow his Instagram @Mikaelcook89.

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 writer who has covered post-withdrawal Afghanistan extensively, primarily in the Washington Examiner. Follow her on Instagram @BWBailey85 or Twitter @BWBailey85.

For listeners in Afghanistan:

If you would like to have your story considered for a future episode, please send us a letter about your experiences to our show e-mail address, [email protected]. Please include as much detail as possible, and let us know if you would like us to give you a pseudonym to protect your identity.