Livestream: Leaving Afghanistan

The spectacular collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government in August 2021 shocked the world and upended millions of lives. One year on, many Afghans who fled are still struggling to make sense of what happened and how to think about home.

Through the Afghanistan Observatory initiative, The Intercept and New America have provided training and editorial support for eight extraordinary Afghan journalists, analysts, and human right defenders who were already outside the country or were forced to leave when the Taliban took over. Since March, the scholars have been working on independent research and writing projects that chronicle the mass migration from Afghanistan last year and seek clarity about and accountability for the collapse of the country’s security forces.

This week, The Intercept launched “No Way Home,” a four-part documentary podcast developed, reported, and narrated by these Afghan storytellers, as well as the first part of an investigative series on corruption and mismanagement in the Afghan security forces and the U.S. government, military, and intelligence community that supported them.

On September 15 at 12 p.m. ET, New America and The Intercept held a live conversation with two of the Afghanistan Observatory scholars, Mir Abdullah Miri and Humaira Rahbin. The discussion was facilitated by Candace Rondeaux, director of the Future Frontlines and Fellows programs at New America, and Vanessa Gezari, national security editor at The Intercept.

Follow the conversation on Twitter at #AfghanistanObservatoryScholars.