The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 offers revealing details of the. From the managing editor of the washington post, a newsbreaking account of the cias involvement in the covert wars in afghanistan that fueled islamic militancy and gave rise to bin ladens al qaeda. It chronicles the roles of midlevel cia officers, their afghan allies, and top spy masters such. View the chiefs of state and cabinet members of afghanistan. After an investigation of posadas background by the press it became apparent that posada was responsible for 41 bombings during the contra conflict.
With the publication of ghost wars, steve coll became not only a pulitzer prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the taliban, the emergence of bin laden, and the secret efforts by cia officers and their agents to capture or kill bin laden in afghanistan after 1998. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001, abbreviated as ghost wars, is a book. Former cia agent reveals what its really like to be a spy. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 coll, steve on. Do you know about the cias secret wars in afghanistan and pakistan. In december 1979, only a few weeks after the us embassy in tehran was overrun, soviet troops intervened in afghanistan. Best iraq and afghanistan war books some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. The book explains how the war against the soviets began and how the cia became involved during the cold war years.
Excia spy readies to publish book about undercover. In theory, the agency could file a similar lawsuit against fox, though doing so would call more attention to her book. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern asia to europe and the middle east, afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders. The afghan state should not be built on institutions it cannot sustain. The author goes into great detail of his mission to build a team, make contact with the northern alliance, enter afghanistan, bring in special forces and the daily struggles with policymakers back in the us. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in. I lost friends and colleagues in the years i served at cia, but the december 2009 incident in afghanistans khost province was the single most lethal attack since the. The best books on afghanistan recommended by thomas barfield. The cia in afghanistan, in the aftermath of attack a suicide bomber killed seven cia officers at an american base in afghanistan on thursday. Accordingly, they may be copied freely without permission of the central intelligence agency cia.
The cias secret wars in afghanistan and pakistan w. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. The soviet union invaded in 1979, but was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anticommunist mujahidin forces. Certainly the finest historical narrative so far on the origins of al qaeda in the postsoviet rubble of afghanistan. Ten years after a cia operation in afghanistan went wrong. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan and bin laden by coll, steve isbn. It does for america in afghanistan what michael gordon and tom ricks did for the iraq misadventure in cobra ii and fiasco. This book chronicles the rise of the jihadist movement, starting with. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001. In this falsecolor satellite image vegetation appears fluorescent green, urban areas range in. An insiders account of how the cia spearheaded the war on terror in afghanistan 9780891418757. Disclosures about a cialed paramilitary force in afghanistan, contained in bob woodwards new book about president obama and the afghanistan war, have rekindled debate about whether different. For more than 3,000 years, kabul has occupied a strategic location along central and southern asian trade routes. Former cia officer details despair, confusion in memoir.
To view the video feed of the discussion, please click on. This book is in the finest traditions of american investigative journalism. The marxist leader of the country, hafizullah amin. Afghanistan history, map, flag, capital, population. Afghanistans recent history is a story of war and civil unrest. Cia patriots killed in the 2009 khost attacks will be. Winner of the 2018 national book critics circle award for nonfiction longlisted for the 2018. The cia in afghanistan, in the aftermath of attack.
The cia and americas secret wars in afghanistan and pakistan, is a sequel to colls pulitzer prizewinning ghost wars, an excellent chronicling of the cias involvement in afghanistan from the soviet invasion through september 10, 2001. It throws a spotlight on what has always been one of cias murkier corners. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 9780141020808 by coll, steve and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The terrifying background of the man who ran a cia. In 2016, a former cia case officer who served in afghanistan published a. For nearly the past quarter century, while most americans were unaware, afghanistan has been the playing field for intense covert operations by u.
The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by. She had spent the year in afghanistan targeting senior alqaeda and taliban members from one of the cias most important bases. Evening standard this sequel to ghost wars might well become the definitive account of the cia and. The information regarding afghanistan on this page is republished from the 2020 world fact book of the united states central intelligence agency and other sources. Excellent firsthand account of the cias operations in afghanistan post 911 until the fall of kabul. Ghost wars, by steve coll, is one of the best historical narratives of the problems in afghanistan and the rise of alqaeda and bin laden. A cia suicide sparks questions about the cia memorial wall. The explosive firsthand account of americas secret history in afghanistan.
Afghanistan from the book the cias greatest hits by mark zepezauer during the reagan years, the cia ran nearly two dozen covert operations against various governments. Felix rodriguez was the cia operative who helped capture che guevara in the bolivian highlands. Inside the cias black site torture room us news the. Afghanistan, landlocked multiethnic country located in the heart of southcentral asia. Ahmad shah durrani unified the pashtun tribes and founded afghanistan in 1747. The first major operation, code named operation cyclone, began in 1979.
It was a program to arm and finance the mujahideen fighters in afghanistan prior to and during the military intervention by the ussr. In the late eighteenth century, kabul was established as afghanistans capital. Well researched book into the unseen world and activities of american spies and military in afghanistan and pakistan. Anthropologist and afghanistan expert thomas barfield gives a panoramic view of afghanistan, from founding dynasties to the failed central asian states of today. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by steve coll and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Since the 1970s, the cia has engaged in multiple operations in afghanistan. Afghanistan from the book the cias greatest hits by mark. Despite the fact that the cia had recently approved another book by a retired agency officer about the war in afghanistan and had briefed authors steve coll ghost wars and bob woodward bush at war, they held up my manuscript for months.
No claims are made regarding the accuracy of afghanistan 2020 information contained here. The country served as a buffer between the british and russian empires until it won independence from notional british control in 1919. Former cia officer duane evans talks about his book foxtrot in kandahar, which recounts his tour of duty in southern afghanistan shortly after the 911 terrorist attacks. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin.
Ghost wars provides fresh details and helps explain the motivations behind many crucial decisions. President reagan had seen an expansion of the reagan doctrine, which aided antisoviet resistance movements. Schroen is a former central intelligence agency field officer who was in charge of the initial cia incursion into afghanistan in september 2001 to topple the taliban regime and to destroy alqaeda schroen worked with the agency for over 30 years, rising from case officer to deputy chief, near east division, directorate of operations in 1999, a post he held through 2001. Author steve coll, managing editor of the washington post, discusses the findings of his latest book on the cias involvement in the covert wars in afghanistan that fueled islamic militancy and gave rise to bin ladens al qaeda. A spectacular account of 15 years of secret cia and us military operations in afghanistan and pakistan by the investigative journalist and academic steve coll. Author steve coll, managing editor of the washington post, discusses the findings of his latest book on the cias involvement in the covert wars in afghanistan. The quote is from his ebook how to get away with murder in america, which goes on to note that in the past, the cia was subject to oversight, however tenuous, from the. For those who have desire to understand the key role secret missions play in americas foreign policy this is the book for you. While some areas of the book rehash welltrodden topics from 2003 to 2007 iraq distracted. With impressive access to american, afghan and pakistani intelligence, coll reveals the extent of the surveillance undertaken by all sides. An operation that went wrong on a remote base in afghanistan, killing seven cia officers, led to major changes in the way the agency conducts high. Robert grenier is a former cia station chief for afghanistan and pakistan, and the man who was tapped by the cia and white house to direct the. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist countercoup. This is a book based on a cia paramilitary operations officer who worked in the operation jawbreaker, being the first ones into afghanistan to officially start the war.
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