Welcome to Ep. 97 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 Jason Howk, a US Army veteran whose service spanned major developments of our Afghan adventure, from supporting the early development of the Afghan National Army in 2002, to overseeing interagency teams of civilians working to establish enduring security in the region in 2013. Jason is now the president of the board of Global Friends of Afghanistan, a diverse organization of Afghan and international leaders searching for paths to a democratic and peaceful future for Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Taliban’s rule. Jason is also a writer, musical collaborator, and adjunct professor of Islamic Studies at the US Air Force Special Operations School.

We discuss the devastation that the U.S. military andveteran communities will face if the U.S. fails to protect its allies from deportation to a country where they are under direct threat of reprisal. We also talk about the failure of the current administration’s intelligence organizations to recognize the truth about the growth of terrorism inside Afghanistan, the difficulties Afghans face inside their homeland, and the rationale given for Temporary Protected Status ending.

Follow Global Friends of Afghanistan and Jason Howk:

Online: https://www.globalfriendsofafghanistan.org/

On X: https://x.com/jason_c_howkAND https://x.com/GFAfghanistan

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-friends-of-afghanistan-gfa

About the host:

Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as acivilian 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 X: https://x.com/BWBailey85

on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85

on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 96 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 Ben, an elder at Oklahoma Khorasan Church, which primarily serves Afghan Christians in the Oklahoma City area. Ben and his family came to the U.S. in 2020 and 2021 respectively, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. In addition to his role as elder, he serves Afghan Christian families across the country.

We discuss the stigma against Christian Afghans inAfghanistan, and in the U.S., as well as the treacherous journey some Afghan Christians took to Brazil, through the deadly Darien Gap and Central America to make their way to the Mexican border and plead for asylum in the U.S.

Like many Afghans who entered the country using the CBP One App, a number of Christian Afghans are facing the revocation of parole, and fear imminent deportation.

About the host:

Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as acivilian 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 X: https://x.com/BWBailey85

on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85

on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 95 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 Chris Robinson, creator of The Last Deployment Project.Chris is a Marine Infantry veteran and Oral Historian. He served from 2016-2020 with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (2nd LAR), 2nd Marine Division out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Originally from Southeast Louisiana, he is a two-time graduate from Southeastern Louisiana University, getting a BA in English (with a concentration in Creative Writing) in 2016 and a MA in History in 2023. He started The Last Deployment Project while he was at university and conducted his first interview in October 2022. In April 2023, he published his 176-page thesis: The Last Deployment Project - Voices from HKIA. As of now, he has conducted 60 interviews totaling around 250 hours of recordings. In August 2024, he finalized a book deal with Casemate Publishers to have a book published for the fifth anniversary, August 2026.In this episode, we talked about Chris’ military experience, and about how he came to create The Last Deployment Project. We also discuss the important facts he’s gathered about our final days and months in Afghanistan, and the facts he still needs to gather about HKIA (2/1 Marines, Chris needs you!)Find The Last Deployment Project:On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2NsCAm4XYhb00g6ggstwfZOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.last.deployment_project/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/