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Sean Langan: Kidnapped by the Taliban | P4: The Release

What I survived

Jack Laurence

March 24, 2026

Show Notes

"Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."


After 12 weeks in Taliban captivity, Sean Langan had learned to manage hope. Ransom negotiations were happening—somewhere, with someone—but he had no control over them. Every day brought the possibility of release. Every day also brought the possibility of execution.


This is the final chapter of Sean Langan's survival story: the chaotic last weeks of captivity when negotiations intensified, the psychological toll of not knowing how or when it would end, and the moment he was finally released after three months as a hostage of the Haqqani Network.


But survival doesn't end when you walk free. We explore what happened after: the PTSD, the struggle to reintegrate into normal life, the haunting memories that don't fade. And remarkably, Sean's decision to return to war zones—this time covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine.


Why would someone who survived Taliban captivity go back to conflict? What does captivity teach you about yourself? And can you ever truly leave it behind? Sean Langan answers all of this. From his darkest days in a Taliban prison to the frontlines of Ukraine, this is the complete story of what he survived—and what it cost him.


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Sean Langan: Kidnapped by the Taliban | P4: The Release — Podcst