The High Side
@thehighside.bsky.social
Investigative and enterprise national security news you won't find elsewhere, run by @SeanDNaylor.bsky.social and @JackMurphyRGR.bsky.social.
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The High Side
@thehighside.bsky.social
· Mar 10
‘Lambs to the slaughter’ (Part 1)
How the CIA failed its officers in Cuba and the FBI failed them at home
thehighside.substack.com
New from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social: the untold story of the intimidation campaign targeting Havana Syndrome victims on U.S. soil. Spy-vs-spy tactics more typical of Moscow or Havana, but in the DC 'burbs and downtown Philadelphia
thehighside.substack.com/p/lambs-to-t...
thehighside.substack.com/p/lambs-to-t...
Reposted by The High Side
In 2005 a CIA team in a remote valley in Pakistan got eyes on Bin Laden, confirmed above 90% certainty by the analysts...but was it really him? Controversial within the CIA and unreported until now.
thehighside.substack.com/p/hunting-bi...
thehighside.substack.com/p/hunting-bi...
November 28, 2025 at 7:36 PM
In 2005 a CIA team in a remote valley in Pakistan got eyes on Bin Laden, confirmed above 90% certainty by the analysts...but was it really him? Controversial within the CIA and unreported until now.
thehighside.substack.com/p/hunting-bi...
thehighside.substack.com/p/hunting-bi...
We appreciate the sentiment from this new paid subscriber to The High Side! Check out our work here: thehighside.substack.com and if you like what you see, please become a paid subscriber. And while you're at it, show @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @theteamhouse.bsky.social boys some love too.
November 28, 2025 at 6:05 PM
We appreciate the sentiment from this new paid subscriber to The High Side! Check out our work here: thehighside.substack.com and if you like what you see, please become a paid subscriber. And while you're at it, show @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @theteamhouse.bsky.social boys some love too.
Reposted by The High Side
This is a great read
November 28, 2025 at 4:12 PM
This is a great read
Reposted by The High Side
Lots of talk today about the "Zero Units" in Afghanistan. @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and I discussed them in our article on @thehighside.bsky.social about JSOC's Omega teams. Zeroed Out: How JSOC’s Omega teams enabled the CIA’s Afghan militias: thehighside.substack.com/p/zeroed-out...
Zeroed Out: How JSOC’s Omega teams enabled the CIA’s Afghan militias
The joint CIA/JSOC hunter-killer teams stalked Afghanistan for nearly twenty years
thehighside.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Lots of talk today about the "Zero Units" in Afghanistan. @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and I discussed them in our article on @thehighside.bsky.social about JSOC's Omega teams. Zeroed Out: How JSOC’s Omega teams enabled the CIA’s Afghan militias: thehighside.substack.com/p/zeroed-out...
Reposted by The High Side
Veterans of the war in Afghanistan, particularly those who fought in Kunar and Nuristan, will want to read this one. Years after leaving these valleys, an important story is told about Bin Laden’s post-9/11 life
Highly recommended piece from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social & @seandnaylor.bsky.social
Highly recommended piece from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social & @seandnaylor.bsky.social
November 28, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Veterans of the war in Afghanistan, particularly those who fought in Kunar and Nuristan, will want to read this one. Years after leaving these valleys, an important story is told about Bin Laden’s post-9/11 life
Highly recommended piece from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social & @seandnaylor.bsky.social
Highly recommended piece from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social & @seandnaylor.bsky.social
Our latest story by @seandnaylor.bsky.social
and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social about how a chance sighting in a Pakistani bazaar prompted some in the CIA to believe that for the first time in years they'd picked up bin Laden's trail. And then someone told the head of the ISI...
and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social about how a chance sighting in a Pakistani bazaar prompted some in the CIA to believe that for the first time in years they'd picked up bin Laden's trail. And then someone told the head of the ISI...
Driving through a remote Pakistani village near "the roof of the world" in 2005, two CIA men were convinced they saw bin Laden and had pictures to prove it. @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and I tell you what happened next. And yes, we have the pics. Only on @thehighside.bsky.social
Hunting bin Laden on 'the roof of the world'
How an encounter in a remote Pakistani bazaar prompted a search for the al-Qaida leader
open.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Our latest story by @seandnaylor.bsky.social
and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social about how a chance sighting in a Pakistani bazaar prompted some in the CIA to believe that for the first time in years they'd picked up bin Laden's trail. And then someone told the head of the ISI...
and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social about how a chance sighting in a Pakistani bazaar prompted some in the CIA to believe that for the first time in years they'd picked up bin Laden's trail. And then someone told the head of the ISI...
Reposted by The High Side
New article tomorrow early AM on @thehighside.bsky.social with @seandnaylor.bsky.social. It is a Bin Laden story I've had to sit on for about ten years. Spicy content, and we've got the pics.
November 27, 2025 at 10:39 PM
New article tomorrow early AM on @thehighside.bsky.social with @seandnaylor.bsky.social. It is a Bin Laden story I've had to sit on for about ten years. Spicy content, and we've got the pics.
Reposted by The High Side
“But other observers have heavily criticized the program, in part due to numerous war crimes allegations aimed at the militias… ‘They did more harm than good,’ said an academic who worked closely with coalition forces in the field in Afghanistan”
More on the Omega units here from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and me on @thehighside.bsky.social:
thehighside.substack.com/p/zeroed-out...
thehighside.substack.com/p/zeroed-out...
November 28, 2025 at 4:01 AM
“But other observers have heavily criticized the program, in part due to numerous war crimes allegations aimed at the militias… ‘They did more harm than good,’ said an academic who worked closely with coalition forces in the field in Afghanistan”
Generous praise from ret. Col. (and former deputy assistant secretary of defense) Joe Collins for @seandnaylor.bsky.social (and, by extension, @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social) and our work on @thehighside.bsky.social. Read it at TheHighSide.substack.com and consider becoming a paid subscriber like Joe.
August 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Generous praise from ret. Col. (and former deputy assistant secretary of defense) Joe Collins for @seandnaylor.bsky.social (and, by extension, @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social) and our work on @thehighside.bsky.social. Read it at TheHighSide.substack.com and consider becoming a paid subscriber like Joe.
The latest in our very irregular feature, "The Back Brief," in which @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social reviews some of the latest national security-themed books, including controversial releases about how drug trafficking has corrupted Delta Force, and the CIA's successes and failures in the 21st Century.
I reviewed The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century, The Ft. Bragg Cartel, and The Airborne Mafia for @thehighside.bsky.social which you can check out right here:
open.substack.com/pub/thehighs...
open.substack.com/pub/thehighs...
The Back Brief: The Airborne Mafia, The Mission, and the Ft. Bragg Cartel
Three new books reviewed covering JSOC, the CIA, and the Airborne Infantry
open.substack.com
August 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The latest in our very irregular feature, "The Back Brief," in which @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social reviews some of the latest national security-themed books, including controversial releases about how drug trafficking has corrupted Delta Force, and the CIA's successes and failures in the 21st Century.
Another happy paid subscriber, plus a shout-out to @theteamhouse.bsky.social's Eyes On podcast. (Our @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social also runs The Team House.) The story to which our new paid subscriber was responding: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... about the CIA's elite all-Afghan humint cell.
August 5, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Another happy paid subscriber, plus a shout-out to @theteamhouse.bsky.social's Eyes On podcast. (Our @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social also runs The Team House.) The story to which our new paid subscriber was responding: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... about the CIA's elite all-Afghan humint cell.
"Definitely worth the price tag for subscription," Nigel says about our new story by @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social +
@seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... on a CIA all-Afghan humint cell that tried to recruit a jihadi who was present when @wsj.com's Daniel Pearl was killed.
@seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... on a CIA all-Afghan humint cell that tried to recruit a jihadi who was present when @wsj.com's Daniel Pearl was killed.
August 4, 2025 at 1:57 PM
"Definitely worth the price tag for subscription," Nigel says about our new story by @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social +
@seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... on a CIA all-Afghan humint cell that tried to recruit a jihadi who was present when @wsj.com's Daniel Pearl was killed.
@seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... on a CIA all-Afghan humint cell that tried to recruit a jihadi who was present when @wsj.com's Daniel Pearl was killed.
Reposted by The High Side
Great shout-out for @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social's and my story in @thehighside.bsky.social about the CIA's all-Afghan humint unit that tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl's killers: "a fascinating report ... You'll want to read to the end." The story is here: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t...
August 3, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Great shout-out for @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social's and my story in @thehighside.bsky.social about the CIA's all-Afghan humint unit that tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl's killers: "a fascinating report ... You'll want to read to the end." The story is here: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t...
What readers are saying about "The Unit That Didn’t Exist: How the CIA’s elite Afghan spies tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl’s killers" thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t..., our latest by @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social (thread 1/3):
The Unit That Didn’t Exist
How the CIA’s elite Afghan spies tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl’s killers
thehighside.substack.com
August 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
What readers are saying about "The Unit That Didn’t Exist: How the CIA’s elite Afghan spies tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl’s killers" thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t..., our latest by @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social (thread 1/3):
Reposted by The High Side
Reposted by The High Side
Read this.
July 31, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Read this.
New from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social - The Unit That Didn’t Exist open.substack.com/pub/thehighs...
The Unit That Didn’t Exist
How the CIA’s elite Afghan spies tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl’s killers
open.substack.com
July 31, 2025 at 1:32 PM
New from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social - The Unit That Didn’t Exist open.substack.com/pub/thehighs...
Reposted by The High Side
Soft launching our @theteamhouse.bsky.social newsletter which will be in conjunction with @thehighside.bsky.social bringing a weekly round up of our podcasts and activities.
Sign up: teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join
Sign up: teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join
TEAM HOUSE DISPATCH SIGN UP PAGE_1
teamhousepodcast.kit.com
July 17, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Soft launching our @theteamhouse.bsky.social newsletter which will be in conjunction with @thehighside.bsky.social bringing a weekly round up of our podcasts and activities.
Sign up: teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join
Sign up: teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join
Reposted by The High Side
Subscribe to my substack where we write national security focused investigative journalism about special operations and the intelligence community. Just two guys and a dream, no outside funding, no billionaire telling us what to write.
thehighside.substack.com
thehighside.substack.com
July 11, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Subscribe to my substack where we write national security focused investigative journalism about special operations and the intelligence community. Just two guys and a dream, no outside funding, no billionaire telling us what to write.
thehighside.substack.com
thehighside.substack.com
Reposted by The High Side
Should be a fun summer, but no vacation this year. Lots of @theteamhouse.bsky.social podcasts, several cool articles for @thehighside.bsky.social, turning in the final copy of my novel to the publisher, and tech advising on a Vietnam war film (possible on camera role too).
July 3, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Should be a fun summer, but no vacation this year. Lots of @theteamhouse.bsky.social podcasts, several cool articles for @thehighside.bsky.social, turning in the final copy of my novel to the publisher, and tech advising on a Vietnam war film (possible on camera role too).
Reposted by The High Side
Some new updates to this story I first published in late 2022.
thehighside.substack.com/p/the-cia-di...
thehighside.substack.com/p/the-cia-di...
The CIA-directed sabotage cells setting Russia ablaze
The story the CIA doesn't want you to read
thehighside.substack.com
June 27, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Some new updates to this story I first published in late 2022.
thehighside.substack.com/p/the-cia-di...
thehighside.substack.com/p/the-cia-di...
Reposted by The High Side
1865. Or whatever.
Tell me again history doesn't matter
Tell me again history doesn't matter
Trump: "If you look at the end of the Civil War -- the 1800s, it was a very turbulent time. If you take the end day -- was it 1869? Or whatever."
June 27, 2025 at 5:10 PM
1865. Or whatever.
Tell me again history doesn't matter
Tell me again history doesn't matter
Sorry, this wasn't clear. It was written by Sean.
Jason, I presume you mean Pt 2 on Havana Syndrome. It's coming, but has been delayed because since Pt 1 ran my father fell ill and sadly passed away. Don't worry, we will finish it (and our "In The Kill Zone" series about Willie Merkerson, plus other stories). I'm just asking for your patience.
June 17, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Sorry, this wasn't clear. It was written by Sean.
Reposted by The High Side
Check it out. I can say that in the aftermath of this there are many unanswered questions. The Cuban-American community (and some in the intel community) are freaked out to say the least.
May 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Check it out. I can say that in the aftermath of this there are many unanswered questions. The Cuban-American community (and some in the intel community) are freaked out to say the least.