The Afghanistan Papers

Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post has dug deep into the lack of planning, mismanaged money, and cynical politics of the Afghan War, now in it's 18th year.

Air Date: December 12, 2019 10:00 am

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - A U.S. soldier shouts at a cameraman at the scene of a suicide attack in Maimanah, the capital of Faryab province north of Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, April 4, 2012. A suicide bomber blew himself up killing at least 10 people, including three NATO service members, officials said, the latest in a string of attacks as spring fighting season gets under way. A senior U.S. defense official has confirmed that two U.S. soldiers were among three NATO forces killed in a suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Gul Buddin Elham)

Guest: Craig Whitlock, Peter Lucier

Why have we been in Afghanistan for 18 years? People born in the year of the U.S. led invasion are now old enough to serve in America’s longest war. CRAIG WHITLOCK, investigative reporter for The Washington Post, recently published a lengthy series of articles that pull the veil back on the lack of planning, mismanaged money, conflicting strategies, and cynical politics that has prolonged the conflict for almost two decades with no victories to claim, and countless deaths. Based on confidential materials, hundreds of interviews with current and former officials, and hard data, Whitlock’s report has been dubbed The Afghanistan Papers and he joins us this hour to talk about his what he uncovered in his reporting. We’ll also talk with a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, PETER LUCIER, to get his reaction to the report.

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