The Taliban Movement is basically famous for two things – for waging armed jihad and for imposing an austere moral code. Today we try to explain how this Islamist Movement has involved itself in digging a canal across the plains of northern Afghanistan. The Qosh Tippa Canal is a mega project – it is like digging a ditch wider than a football field, stretching from London to Liverpool. It has been championed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Emirate’s Deputy Prime Minister who heads the National Economic Council. You may remember his name from the first series. Today Tamim and Michael try to work out why the Taliban are throwing so many resources at digging a ditch in the desert.

Podcast produced by Colm Heatley.