John J. Waters
The 2022 documentary Retrograde explores the final months of America’s war in Afghanistan, capturing footage from January 2021 until the final withdrawal of U.S. troops in August 2021.
The charismatic figure at the center of the film is Afghan Lieutenant General Sami Sadat.
“The Americans trained me,” Sadat says early in the film. “I just don’t believe that the Americans are going to retrograde.” But U.S. troops began to retrograde on May 1, 2021. On the same day, the Taliban began its final offensive that culminated in the fall of Kabul on August 15. For months, Sadat rallied Afghan soldiers to fight back against the Taliban, first in Helmand Province and later in Kabul.
In his new book The Last Commander, Sadat gives a personal account of combat against the Afghan Taliban. He argues that Afghanistan could have prevailed with continued support from its allies, but believes that his opposition group has the leadership and resolve to win back Afghanistan. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation.
You have an unusual name. Is your family from Afghanistan?
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