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The Spy Who Rode with Warlords | The First Casualty | 3

September 29, 2026 • 39m

Summary

⏱️ 12 min read

Overview

This episode chronicles the chaotic prison uprising at Kalijangi fortress in Afghanistan following the Taliban's surrender of Kunduz. After CIA officer Mike Spann is killed and his colleague David Tyson escapes, British SBS forces and US Green Berets battle hundreds of Al-Qaeda fighters who have seized weapons and barricaded themselves inside the fortress. The episode follows the multi-day siege involving misfired bombs, AC-130 gunship strikes, and ultimately flooding the basement to force the final surrender, while exploring the personal trauma experienced by those involved and the broader implications for America's war in Afghanistan.

British SBS Forces Respond to Prison Break at Kalijangi

When a prison uprising erupts at Kalijangi fortress, British Special Boat Service Sergeant Paul 'Scruff' McGough and his elite eight-man squad are called in to support overwhelmed American and Afghan forces. Despite strict rules of engagement requiring them not to fire unless fired upon first, the SBS team quickly assesses the dire situation with approximately 400 Al-Qaeda fighters armed with automatic weapons and RPGs holding a strategic position. The team decides to ignore their restrictions and launches Operation Save the Yankees to provide heavy machine gun fire support.

  • British SBS squad had been in Afghanistan for over a week but mainly performed escort duties under strict rules of engagement
  • Approximately 400 Al-Qaeda jihadis armed with automatic weapons and RPGs occupied the pink house building
  • One American was confirmed down and another trapped inside headquarters with a German film crew
  • SBS decides to ignore restricted rules of engagement given the emergency situation
" Looks like you got yourself a right old clusterfuck here "
" Fuck that mate, this is a shoot first questions later scenario "

David Tyson's Harrowing Escape from the Fortress

CIA officer David Tyson remains trapped in Kalijangi headquarters with German journalist Arne Staudt and his crew, exchanging fire with Al-Qaeda fighters while watching his Afghan ally Sayid Kamal bleed out from a femoral artery wound. As darkness falls and their position becomes untenable, Tyson spots an elderly Afghan escaping over the fortress wall and decides to lead the civilians on a dangerous evacuation along the parapets. They successfully escape and remarkably catch a shared taxi back to Mazar-i-Sharif, a surreal moment of normalcy after the intense combat.

  • Tyson defended his position while RPG rockets struck the building, nearly killing him
  • Afghan intelligence chief Sayid Kamal was shot in the femoral artery and died while reciting the Shahada
  • Tyson spotted an elderly Afghan on crutches escaping over the wall, providing an evacuation route
  • The group escaped in a shared taxi van that happened to be passing by the fortress
" It's okay, don't worry. "

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