Welcome to Episode 125 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is Hasht-e Subh editor Hussain Haidari, who discusses his journey fleeing Afghanistan and becoming a refugee inside the U.S. We talk about Hussain's advocacy for the refugee community, the safety and stability his family has found in the U.S., and his hopes for his homeland.About Hussain:In Afghanistan, Hussain Ali Haidari was an executive officer for former Afghan president Ashraf Gani and a reporter for 8am media. He now continues to write for the site, is an intake and outreach specialist at Minneapolis nonprofit Emerge, and is the reporter and editor for New Home, a weekly refugee newsletter. Hussain is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Minnesota.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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 124 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is Andrew Sullivan, Executive Director of nonprofit No One Left Behind. Andy talks about the Jan. 14 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on vetting practices for Afghan allies, including OIG revelations about vetting suggestions that were not heeded by the Biden or Trump administrations, and the panel of speakers talking about our allies. Andy also talks about the current state of the SIV program, which is suspended to the detriment of the allies who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. forces during nearly two decades of war.Find No One Left Behind via: Twitter: https://twitter.com/n1leftbehindWebsite: http://nooneleft.org/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/no-one-left-behind/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nooneleftbehindus/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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 123 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is veteran Joe Burdick, who has spent much of the last four and a half years making sure that we remember the sacrifices of the 13 U.S. service members who died at Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26, 2021.We talk about how Joe became an advocate for the fallen, and the effort to pass Ohio SB 244 to create a day of memory in their honor.About Joe:Joe Burdick is a veteran-driven entrepreneur and podcast host whose work centers on service, honor, and impact. Drawing from his military background, Joe founded Burdick Custom Flags, crafting handmade wooden flags that stand as symbols of sacrifice and pride. His podcast amplifies authentic voices—veterans, leaders, athletes, and creators—through honest, long-form conversations. Beyond business and media, Joe is committed to philanthropy, using his platform to support causes that serve veterans, first responders, and military families. His mission is simple: serve, create, and give back.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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 122 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is incredible filmmaker Brishkay Ahmed, who is discussing her documentary film, 'In the Room,' which tells the stories of five tremendous Afghan women whose activism has forced them to flee their homeland. About Brishkay:Brishkay Ahmed is known for her feature documentaries In the Rumbling Belly of Motherland (2021), Unveiled: The Kohistan Video Scandal (2016) and Story of Burqa (2012). Throughout her years as a documentary filmmaker, her projects have been supported by the NFB, CBC, Super Channel, RTA, Bravo and Cinema Politica. Her last feature documentary, In the Rumbling Belly of Motherland, a nominee for the 2021 DGC Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary, won the Outstanding Feature Film Award at the 2021 Reelworld Film Festival. Her short film Fatima in Kabul (2021) was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Web Program and a Banff Rockie Award nominee for Short Non-Fiction Program. Beyond documentaries, Brishkay is the creator and co-director of the Afghan prime-time legal drama Between You and Me for Tolo TV, Afghanistan. She also worked as a writer and director on several police and legal procedurals in Kabul, Afghanistan (2011–2019). Brishkay studied film production at NYU and is an alumna of the Canadian Film Centre.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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 121 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is James Seddon, who has joined me for a third time to dive into another article from Center for Immigration Studies' Phillip Linderman that casts aspersions on Republicans who support Afghans, belittles the politically diverse advocates who support our allies, and makes demeaning, dehumanizing, and downright false "observations" about Afghans with absolutely no evidence. James Seddon is a father, husband, writer, retired Navy veteran, Afghanistan veteran, speaker, activist for veterans and Afghan allies, recovering IT manager, and regularly unsuccessful fisherman living in Southern California.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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 120 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today's guest is Canadian veteran Nathan Kehler, discussing Project Athena, his effort to map participation in the Afghan war through a living map.Nathan talks about his deployment to Kandahar in 2009, and how his participation in Project 44, an effort to map the Second World War, led to the creation of Project Athena.We talk about what's in the works for expanding Project Athena, and Canada's role in the Afghanistan withdrawal.Find Project Athena here: https://www.projectathena.ca/About Nathan Kehler:Nathan Kehler is a former Armoured Reconnaissance soldier with the Royal Canadian Dragoons who later re-mustered as a Geomatics Technician with 2 Combat Engineer Regiment. He deployed to Kandahar in 2009 as part of the 1 PPCLI Battle Group, Task Force 3-09, serving across Panjwai, Dand, and Kandahar City. He released from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2019 and has since focused on historical mapping and digital preservation. He founded Project ’44, an interactive web map documenting the Canadian Army during the Second World War, and later created Project Athena to map Canada’s war in Afghanistan. His work aims to make military history more accessible by giving veterans and the public a way to explore, contribute, and preserve stories through modern digital tools.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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 119 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today's guest is director Ankita Kumar, discussing her new documentary, 'Far From Home,' which tells the story of an Afghan family living in India, where they seek refugee status and a path to rebuilding a life.Ankita talks about why she focused on the refugee situation in India, and how she chose the subjects of her film. We discuss future projects, and upcoming screenings of the documentary.About Ankita:Ankita Kumar is an award-winning journalist-turned-documentary filmmaker. Far from Home is her first film. It has screened at over 8 film festivals last year and won several awards. Before filmmaking, Ankita worked for news organizations such as Deutsche Welle (DW) and POLITICO. Her core coverage areas are refugees, migration, immigration and culture. Ankita has taught at UC Berkeley's Journalism school. She is currently working on her next feature documentary on Carnatic music (a form of Indian classical music) and producing another documentary on a Syrian-Armenian artist.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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 118 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is Jenn Noonkester, a retired senior Air Force NCO who has been helping to shepherd multiple U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, and some Afghan Christians, to safety in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal.

Jenn talks about the devastation that followed for the Afghans she is assisting when the Presidential Directive authorizing just 7,500 USRAP applicants in FY 2026 was released and included no provisions for our Afghan allies.

We talk about the individuals she is supporting, and the ways to keep assisting USRAP applicants in the face of the devastating news.About Jenn:

Jenn is a retired Air Force senior NCO who deployed several times during her career, including to Afghanistan and Iraq. Jenn left the service in the months following the Afghan government’s collapse after a 20-year career. She is now pursuing a degree and is involved in public service to assist her community, fellow evacuation volunteers, veterans, and anyone else who struggles with mental health.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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 117 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is Sarina Faizy, formerly a Provincial Council member in Kandahar province. Sarina talks about her journey to being elected to the Provincial Council, the cultural difficulties of performing her job, and traveling to the U.S. for her education.

We discuss her efforts to help Afghans who arrived in the U.S. following the harrowing withdrawal from Kabul, and her hopes for her future and the future of her country.About Sarina Faizy:

Sarina began her career as a Media Relations Officer for ISAF/NATO in Kandahar in 2011, and eventually was elected to the Kandahar Provincial Council, where she held a position between 2014 and 2019. Sarina helped to process Afghans into the country in September 2021 and was recently a Senior Operations Associate at Chemonics working on support to their Special Immigrant Visa Unit.

Sarina has her Bachelor’s from Malalay University and her Master’s in International Law from my alma mater, the College of William and Mary.

You can find Sarina's children's book, Sarina of Kandahar: An Afghan Girl's Journey to Change the World, on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sarina-Kandahar-Afghan-Journey-Change/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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to a special mini-episode of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guests are co-founder of Massachusetts Afghan Alliance John Moses and #afghanevac president Shawn VanDiver. We discuss the inaccuracies and concerns raised by a piece by "Civis Legatus" in the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship that purports to share information about the special immigrant visa program.

Find Massachusetts Afghan Alliance:

on the web: https://massafghanalliance.org/on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/massafghanalliance/

on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/massafghanalliance/ Follow Shawn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shawnjvandiver Follow #AfghanEvac:

on Twitter https://twitter.com/afghanevac on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/afghanevac/ on the web: https://afghanevac.org/ 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 Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/