The Afghanistan Project Podcast

Episode 19: Yousuf Sediq


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Welcome to Episode 19 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 Yousuf Sediq, a former special operations squadron commander in Task Force 241, an elite counterterrorism force within the Afghan Special Forces. Yousuf is the author of 5,000 Days of War: The Firsthand Account of an Afghan Special Forces Operator.

Yousuf discusses his decision to begin working with the Canadian Special Forces as an interpreter in 2007, and the dissatisfaction he felt with the treatment of interpreters at Canadian bases. Yousuf then began working with the U.S. Special Forces as an interpreter, working alongside the U.S. Army Special Forces and the U.S. Navy Seals before joining the Afghan Special Forces in 2013. Yousuf briefly discusses rising through the ranks and ultimately joining Task Force 241 before talking about his work supporting the U.S. withdrawal from Hamid Karzai International Airport in August 2021. Ultimately Yousuf and his colleagues were among the last Afghans to leave HKIA during the withdrawal.

Yousuf expresses pride at having secured special immigrant visa packages for his fellow Task Force 241 members, and briefly talked about his plans for the future in the U.S.

More about Yousuf:

Find 5,000 Days of War: The Firsthand Account of an Afghan Special Forces Operator here.

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.

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The Afghanistan Project PodcastBy Mikael Cook

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