Welcome to Episode Four of The Afghanistan Project Podcast, where hosts Mikael Cook and Beth Bailey are highlighting the struggles of Afghans living under Taliban rule, and the efforts of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and political affiliations who have stepped up to provide support to the people of Afghanistan in the chaos that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Our guest this week is Leslie Merriman, whose work volunteering to aid Afghan special immigrant visa recipients through No One Left Behind became a broader mission of feeding SIV applicants left behind in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021. Leslie’s work has now expanded to include coordinating medical care for communities, particularly in minority-dominated regions, with limited facilities, supplies, and doctors. Through Leslie’s medical clinics, she began explicitly supporting a large number of women and children who have been raped by members of the Taliban. She has started nonprofit organization Our Culture is Giving to coordinate emotional and physical assistance for these victims.
In addition to covering Leslie’s extensive efforts to support Afghans, and the risks the Afghan population faces, we also discuss the signs the international community seems to be willfully ignoring that the Taliban are conducting a slow but deliberate genocide against minority populations. We also discuss the concerning allegations that Afghan commandos trained by U.S. forces are joining the Islamic State offshoot in Afghanistan, and even fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine.
The episode concludes with a letter from a young Afghan woman whose name we have left out for her protection. Our young writer was put at serious risk when she chose to work in a coeducational facility in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country in August 2021. The Taliban’s threats against her forced her to abandon her post, and seek an education outside the country. To make it to Bangladesh, where the young woman is currently studying, she had to escape across Torkham, as she was not allowed to fly outside the country without the presence of a male relative.
About our guests:
Follow Leslie on Twitter @LeslieAMerriman or Instagram @ourcultureislove, and support Our Culture is Giving by visiting their website, http://ourcultureisgiving.org
About the hosts:
Mikael Cook was an Army non-commissioned officer and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He was an active member of the #DigitalDunkirk movement to evacuate our Afghan Allies in August of 2021. You can follow his Instagram @Mikaelcook89.
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 writer who has covered post-withdrawal Afghanistan extensively, primarily in the Washington Examiner. Follow her on Instagram @BWBailey85 or Twitter @BWBailey85.
For listeners in Afghanistan:
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, theafghanistanprojectpodcast@gmail.com. Please include as much detail as possible, and let us know if you would like us to give you a pseudonym to protect your identity.
