# Afghanistan, five years on: our correspondent visits

An episode of [The Intelligence from The Economist](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1449631195), 14 Aug 2026, 26 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/theintelligencepodcast/e/6a7ee547049c692a6b3ee0a9/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=LQqTc9kqYjik9dc-sPBYc_-VxZC46rqxoFrweznaLGY

Five years after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban show little sign of moderation. Our correspondent reports from the country on what life is like for ordinary people. A giant earthquake reveals two very different Colombias. And celebrating the life of Gurkha climber, Nirmal Purja, who died in an avalanche. Watch extended clips from Insider here, plus the full Elon Musk interview. Guests and host: • Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief • Claire McQue, Latin America writer • Ann Wroe, obituaries editor • Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered: • Afghanistan, Taliban, sanctions • Colombia, earthquake, Espriella • Nirmal Purja, mountaineer, Everest, avalanche Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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