Green Beret Says Filmmakers ‘Didn’t Heed’ Warnings That Led To Taliban Killing Afghan Ally

Thomas Kasza, a “Green Beret turned humanitarian,” told NewsNation on Tuesday that he warned filmmakers about showing the faces of America’s Afghan allies in a documentary on Green Berets before a man featured in the film was killed by the Taliban.

National Geographic, a Disney joint venture, removed its documentary, “Retrograde,” from its streaming platform over the summer after a 21-year-old Afghan contractor featured in the film was caught and murdered by the Taliban. The Washington Post reported earlier this year that “Retrograde” director Matthew Heineman and producer Caitlin McNally decided to show close-ups of the Afghan man and others who helped U.S. forces clear mines. Kasza said that decision came after warnings from him and other former Green Berets and military members who said that showing the Afghan men in the film would put them in danger.

Kasza told NewsNation’s Dan Abrams that, according to an interpreter he’s in contact with, the Afghan man was shown “Retrograde” clips while the Taliban tortured him for up to 15 days. Kasza said, “It boggles the mind really why National Geographic, Disney … would actually kind of go to these lengths to not only just expose them, but then kind of abandon them after the fact, after this guy was killed.”

The former Green Beret added that he knows the filmmakers received warnings about releasing the documentary with the Afghans’ faces unobscured because he was one of the five people mentioned in the Washington Post article who discussed the issues with them.

Kasza, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he and other military members initially saw the film as “a tremendous opportunity,” but after viewing the premiere of the documentary, he was concerned for the safety of U.S. allies in Afghanistan.

“Because we saw the behind-the-scenes and we knew the reality of the situation, we were able to convey the gravity of the situation,” he said. “Unfortunately, they didn’t heed our warnings.”

Kasza added, “Our objectives are not to pick a fight with Disney or pick a fight with National Geographic. Our entire purpose here is to provide aid for these guys. And the fact that Disney, which was market-capped for $210 billion as of today, doesn’t want to contribute any assistance in any kind of matter is kind of preposterous.”

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Following the Washington Post’s story on the controversy, multiple awards the film won were revoked. Kasza posted on X earlier this month that he hopes the developments will “spur @Disney, @NatGeo or @MattHeineman to finally render assistance to the widow and the remaining eight affected families.”