Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invas ion to September 10, 2001Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize From the award-winning and bestselling author of Directorate S, the explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan To what extent did America’s best intelligence analysts grasp the rising thread of Islamist radicalism? Who tried to stop bin Laden and why did they fail? Comprehensively and for the first time, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll recounts the history of the covert wars in Afghanistan that fueled Islamic militancy and sowed the seeds of the September 11 attacks. Based on scrupulous research and firsthand accounts by key government, intelligence, and military personnel both foreign and American, Ghost Wars details the secret history of the CIA’s role in Afghanistan (including its covert operations against Soviet troops from 1979 to 1989), the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of bin Laden, and the failed efforts by U.S. forces to find and assassinate bin Laden in Afghanistan. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - LamSon - LibraryThingThis book chronicles the rise of the jihadist movement, starting with mujahedin fighters in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. It continues with the rise of the Taliban and the ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - PCorrigan - LibraryThingInteresting and important reading even in 2017 with the basic facts leading up to 9/11 pretty well known by anyone who has devoted even modest attention to the subject. Where the book excels in my ... Read full review
Contents
Praise About the Author | |
Title Page Copyright Page Dedication | |
Authors Note Prologue | |
Were Going to Die Here | |
Lenin Taught Us | |
Go Raise Hell | |
I Loved Osama | |
Dangling the Carrot | |
We Couldnt Indict Him | |
Were Keeping These Stingers | |
Does America Need the CIA? | |
You Are to Capture Him Alive | |
The Kingdoms Interests | |
We Are at War | |
Lets Just Blow the Thing Up Chapter 25 The Manson Family | |
Dont Make It Our War | |
Who Is This Massoud? | |
The Terrorists Will Own the World | |
Inshallah You Will Know My Plans | |
We Won | |
Serious Risks | |
A Rogue Elephant | |
We Are in Danger | |
A Friend of Your Enemy | |
Maintain a Prudent Distance | |
A New Generation | |
Slowly Slowly Sucked into It | |
Other editions - View all
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden Steve Coll Limited preview - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
Abdul Abdullah Afghan Afghanistan agency agency’s agents Ahmed Shah Massoud aides al Qaeda alliance American analysts Arab army attack Badeeb Bearden Bhutto bombing cable camps Casey Central Asia CIA officers CIA station Clarke colleagues commanders counterterrorism covert action diplomats director force foreign Gary Schroen George Tenet Hekmatyar Ibid interviews with U.S. ISI’s Islamabad Islamabad station Islamic Islamist Jalalabad jihad jihadists Joint Inquiry Committee Kabul Kandahar Karzai kill Laden unit Langley later leaders Massoud McWilliams meeting military missile Mohammed mujahedin Mullah Omar Musharraf Muslim Najibullah National Security operations Osama bin Laden Pakistani intelligence Panjshir Pashtun Pentagon Peshawar political president Prince Turki Qaeda radical recalled Saudi Arabia Saudi intelligence secret senior September Sharif Soviet staff statement station chief Stinger Taliban targets Tarnak Tenet terrorism terrorist threat told Tomsen tribal U.S. embassy U.S. officials Unocal wanted Washington weapons White House Yousef
Bibliographic information
| Title | Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invas ion to September 10, 2001 |
| Author | Steve Coll |
| Publisher | Penguin, 2004 |
| ISBN | 1101221437, 9781101221433 |
| Length | 738 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Middle East / General Political Science / Intelligence & Espionage Political Science / Terrorism |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |