Al Qaeda Is Rapidly Rebuilding: Afghanistan & the New Terror Threat

Change Agents with Andy Stumpf

IRONCLAD

Society & Culture

4.8 • 607 Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today's episode, Andy is joined by Bill Roggio—senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of The Long War Journal—for a wide-ranging conversation on national security, starting with the complexities of firearm ownership in the U.S. and shifting into an in-depth analysis of the global jihadist threat. They trace the evolution of groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda, examining how these networks have resurged in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The discussion dives into U.S. military strategy, missteps in the War on Terror, and the enduring ideological mindset of jihadist fighters. Together, they unpack what went wrong, what the media often overlooks, and why public awareness of these threats is more important than ever. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors: Firecracker Farm Use code IRONCLAD to get 15% off your first order at https://firecracker.farm/ AmmoSquared Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Afghanistan has become a black hole.
0:03.0	And when you give an enemy like al-Qaeda, the time, space and security to recruit,
0:11.0	to train, to indoctrinate, to plot attacks, who thought that 9-11, you know, that you
0:18.0	do some pilot training and take box cutters on a plane
0:21.1	and take out airplanes. I don't want to find out what happens next when they have this time
0:25.1	in space. And we're not just there in Afghanistan. We're there in Syria now as well.
0:37.4	Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Change Agents in Ironclad Original, presented by our friends, our spicy friends, if you will, at Firecracker Farm.
0:45.8	Today's episode is about the Taliban rule and the global risk of that rule, which could lead to the rise of a new jihadist safe haven.
0:56.8	My guest today to discuss this topic is Bill Rogio.
0:59.4	He's an American military commentator and journalist specializing in counterterrorism and global
1:04.3	conflict reporting.
1:06.1	He has embedded with various military forces throughout his career, including the U.S.
1:10.1	Marine Corps, the U.S. Marine Corps,
1:10.9	the U.S. Army, the Georgian Army, the Iraqi Army, and Iraqi police in Iraq from 2005 to 2008,
1:17.2	and also with the Canadian Army in Afghanistan in 2006.
1:22.1	Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021, the country has rapidly reverted
1:26.7	to a safe haven or terrorist groups, just as it was pre-9-11.
1:31.7	The Taliban are back in power, and despite promises to the contrary, they are harboring and cooperating with jihadist organizations like al-Qaeda yet again.
1:41.0	The region is again the hub of jihadist activity and its impact is already being felt
1:45.5	in attacks in Russia, Iran, and potentially beyond. Let's dive into the show.
1:50.9	Yeah, man, we're going to open with Afghanistan a little bit just because for most people
1:55.2	who pay attention and especially for the Gwatt era, like we understand that particular moment.
	...

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