Welcome to Episode 65 of The Afghanistan Project Podcast featuring Afghan journalist in exile, Bilal Sarwary.

Bilal and I talk about many of the more nuanced aspects of Taliban rule that are not getting covered, either because journalists in the West lack a comprehensive source network inside Afghanistan, or because the Taliban have effectively quashed freedom of the press inside Afghanistan.

We chat about the continued cultivation of opium, despite the Taliban’s opium ban, as well as the growing trade in crystal meth. We also talk about the General Directorate of Intelligence, the powerful Taliban intelligence agency with ties to Al Qaeda that is creating a Hell on earth for Afghans it detains.

Follow Bilal on X: https://x.com/bsarwary

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. Follow her on Instagram or X ⁠@BWBailey85⁠.

For Afghan listeners:

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].