13 episodes
THE WAR WITHIN: THE ROBERT BALES STORY iHeartPodcasts
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- Society & Culture
It’s March 2012 in a region of Afghanistan known as the birthplace of the Taliban. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales leaves his base–in the dead of the night–and lays siege to two villages, killing a reported sixteen innocent Afghan civilians. The reaction from the American government is swift and severe; provoking universal condemnation and a life sentence in Fort Leavenworth military prison.
Over a decade later, the lingering question about what became known as the Kandahar Massacre remains. Why did it happen? Anchored by 18 hours of exclusive interviews from America's most notorious war criminal and complemented by a chorus of people central to this polarizing case, THE WAR WITHIN: THE ROBERT BALES STORY is a 12-episode investigative podcast that will shed new light on the inner sanctum of the military. Throughout, the series will contain explosive revelations that run the gamut, from brain injuries, to potentially toxic drugs, to possible cover-ups by the nation Robert Bales swore to protect.
Episodes drop every Thursday, starting on June 29th.
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Does That Make Sense?
The final episode of THE WAR WITHIN considers the impact of the Kandahar Massacre on the withdrawal of American troops from Kabul in 2021, while gathering final thoughts from many of the people affected by this tragedy – including, of course, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales himself.
THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
The Redirect
Episode 11 of THE WAR WITHIN unveils an explosive final interview with Robert Bales, recorded from Fort Leavenworth Prison in December of 2022, where the convicted war criminal responds to some of the accusations made by others throughout the podcast series.
THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Help
Episode 10 of THE WAR WITHIN gathers and organizes details gleaned from Robert Bales' many hours of interviews to question whether an astonishing theory from one of the Staff Sergeant's former Privates might completely re-contextualize our collective understanding of what happened in Afghanistan on March 11th, 2012.
THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Command Climate
Episode 9 of THE WAR WITHIN tracks Robert Bales' various appeals efforts over the years – both in the courts and the press. Then, the story travels back to VSP Belambai in Afghanistan, where the claim that the Staff Sergeant was an elite warrior is put under the microscope.
THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Discontinued
Episode 8 of THE WAR WITHIN investigates the checkered history of the antimalarial drug Mefloquine, which has been theorized to cause major side effects – such as hallucinations and homicidal ideation – in American soldiers throughout the 21st century.
THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Poison Pills
Episode 7 of THE WAR WITHIN concerns the numerous substances that might have altered Robert Bales’ state of mind in 2012 Afghanistan – particularly, a controversial and potentially defective antimalarial drug.
THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.