A Conversation With an Afghan General

<p><i>This episode contains strong language.</i></p><p>Brig. Gen. Khoshal Sadat, a former Afghan deputy minister for security, has held some of the highest ranks in the Afghan security forces and government. </p><p>From the moment Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, the United States has put much of the blame of Afghan security forces — a force that President Biden said gave up without a fight.</p><p>“The reality is that we’re not cowards,” said General Sadat. “We did not lay our arms, we would not lay our arms based on military pressure.”</p><p>We speak to General Sadat about growing up under the Taliban, his career in the military and the future of Afghanistan. </p><p>Guest: Brig. Gen. Khoshal Sadat, a former Afghan deputy minister for security.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/NTTD?smid=pc-thedaily">Sign up here</a> to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>When General Sadat became the highest-ranking police official in Afghanistan, he tried to overhaul the country’s police with the American way of war. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/world/asia/afghanistan-police-chief.html?smid=pc-thedaily">Read a profile of him from 2019</a>. </li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>