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The John Batchelor Show

AFTER TWO DEBATES, NO EXPLANATION: 6/8: Kabul: The Untold Story of Biden’s Fiasco and the American Warriors Who Fought to the End Hardcover – by Jerry Dunleavy (Author), James Hasson (Author)

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2024

⏱️ 5 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

AFTER TWO DEBATES, NO EXPLANATION: 6/8: Kabul: The Untold Story of Biden’s Fiasco and the American Warriors Who Fought to the End Hardcover – by Jerry Dunleavy (Author), James Hasson (Author)

https://www.amazon.com/Kabul-Untold-Bidens-American-Warriors/dp/1546005307/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701296521&sr=1-1

America’s chaotic retreat from Afghanistan in 2021 was nothing short of a horror show. Women and children were trampled to death outside the gates of the Kabul airfield. Desperate Afghans fell from the landing gear of departing planes. Taliban fighters mercilessly whipped and humiliated U.S. civilians trying to access the few square miles still controlled by American forces. Countless Afghan interpreters were abandoned to the mercy of the Taliban after risking their lives alongside American troops for years. And thirteen U.S. service members—eleven of whom were still in preschool on 9/11—were murdered in an ISIS suicide bombing that could easily have been prevented.

Still, the full story is worse than anyone imagined. Drawing from hundreds of hours of first-person interviews, investigative reporter Jerry Dunleavy and former Army Captain and Afghanistan veteran James Hasson provide an exclusive, no-holds-barred account of the disastrous events of August 2021. Kabul is packed with shocking and infuriating exclusive details about fatal politics and bureaucracy that contributed to the catastrophe. The authors also tell, for the first time, inspiring stories of the bravery and sacrifices exhibited by countless Americans on the ground.

Kabul's original reporting includes eyewitness accounts from servicemembers of all ranks who participated the rescue effort, inside information from senior intelligence officials, interviews with high-ranking members of allied governments, harrowing stories from Americans and Afghan allies willfully abandoned by craven officials in Washington, and exclusive details about veteran-led rescue missions that continue to this day. Chapter after chapter, Kabul depicts American government at its worst and “ordinary” Americans at their best.
KHYBER PASS 1948

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The CIA maintained the Blackgate it was called opposite the CIA's Eagle Base.

0:21.6

There's also the concern of the NSU. These are special acronyms that need

0:26.0

interpretation. James, the CIA was working very hard, out of uniform in and out bringing people through a what you

0:34.9

describe as a whole in the wall the military the Marines and the 82nd

0:39.7

airborne manning the gates they knew about this or some did and some didn't. But in general

0:46.3

I take it this was extremely helpful to get the most critical SIV's and interps and members of government,

0:57.1

the people in most in danger, plus American citizens out.

1:00.4

Is that how it was used, James? As a general matter, yes.

1:04.0

So as you mentioned, there are the main gates that we talked about before.

1:09.0

And then, well, there was what was called Blackgate, which was essentially a little more than a nondescript hole in the wall.

1:22.0

Basically, a few, you know, well disguised doors that could open.

1:27.0

And that was kind of basically on a direct line to the CIA's compound in Kabul and that was that was well known as

1:38.9

Eagle Base is what it was called and that was to the north of the airfield it was kind of to the

1:45.2

northeast somewhat and there were a lot the CIA at times would they also had their own helipad inside the

1:59.9

airfield so at times they would fly their own evacuees just straight from Eagle

2:04.9

Base to straight to the, you know, on to the airfield. but in other instances there were people that they would meet at a

2:17.6

Roneview point at a gas station and basically south of where Eagle base was but north of where the airfield was and kind of on a direct line between the two.

2:31.0

And oftentimes they would use the CIA would use the

2:36.0

NSU which that's an acronym for a national strike unit

2:40.0

who were they James who was Who was the NSCU?

2:44.0

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love to get to that.

2:46.0

Afghanistan nationals, but those are Afghan paramilitary forces that were originally stood up by the CIA shortly after the 2001 invasion and were

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