How the US is Abandoning its Afghan Allies
February 12, 2026
51 min
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173 of 210
February 12, 2026
How the US is Abandoning its Afghan Allies
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Conflicted Episodes Around February 12, 2026
Episode 173 of 210 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
51:50This episodeHow the US is Abandoning its Afghan Allies
Summary
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to U.S. Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, about the fate of Afghans who worked alongside American forces during the U.S. occupation, and how the Trump administration’s immigration restrictions are increasingly freezing them out.
Shawn explains:
Who America’s Afghan allies were and the risks they took
The complex tragedy of the National Guardsmen shooting in Washington D.C.
The Special Immigrant Visa system and why it failed
Trump’s first travel ban and the dismantling of refugee pathways
The Doha Agreement and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
The creation of AfghanEvac and cooperation with the U.S. government
How Trump’s second term is closing the door on Afghan allies
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Follow Shawn VanDiver:
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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.
Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.
This episode was produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews.
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