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Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden
 
 

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden (Paperback)

by Steve Coll (Author) "IT WAS A SMALL RIOT in a year of upheavals, a passing thunderclap disgorged by racing skies ..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden + Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam
Price For Both: £16.08

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Product details

  • Paperback: 736 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (3 Mar 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141020806
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141020808
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,297 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #3 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Civil Liberties & Political Activism > Political Violence > Terrorism & Freedom Fighters

Product Description

Product Description
The news-breaking book that has sent schockwaves through the White House, Ghost Wars is the most accurate and revealing account yet of the CIA's secret involvement in al-Qaeada's evolution. Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll has spent years reporting from the Middle East, accessed previously classified government files and interviewed senior US officials and foreign spymasters. Here he gives the full inside story of the CIA's covert funding of an Islamic jihad against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, explores how this sowed the seeds of bn Laden's rise, traces how he built his global network and brings to life the dramatic battles within the US government over national security. Above all, he lays bare American intelligence's continual failure to grasp the rising threat of terrrorism in the years leading to 9/11 - and its devastating consequences.

About the Author
Steve Coll, winner of a 1990 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism, has been managing editor of the Washington Post since 1998 and covered Afghanistan as the Post's South Asia bureau chief between 1989 and 1992. Coll is the author of four books, including On the Grand Trunk Road and The Taking of Getty Oil.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
IT WAS A SMALL RIOT in a year of upheavals, a passing thunderclap disgorged by racing skies. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
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3 star:    (0)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book that reads like a novel, 27 Nov 2006
By SJ SMART "Smartie" (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Most political histories are a little dry and dull but this book is brilliant, so detailed and so well researched it reads like a Tom Clancy novel.

It covers the entire background to CIA involvement in Afghanistan and the rise of Bin Laden there. Its totally gripping and so informative, the only frustration is that it ends on 8 Sept just before 9/11.

If you are interested in the CIA and Afghanistan then read this book.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Afghan Insights, 27 Dec 2006
By Ulrik Jungersen Walther "Ulle" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is truely the most well documented and insightful book I have read on the current and recent political history of Afghanistan and the US's involvement in the region. Coll's access to sorce material as well as politicians is remarkable and he displays a thorough understanding of political and religious currents nuances.

Even more importantly, the book comes across as unbiased and objective yet still throughly analytical. Coll casts so much light on issues important to the region that I would recommend it to anybody intersted in understanding one of today's centres of conflict...not least politicians and government officials.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars EXPLOSIVE READING, 30 Sep 2008
By Foxylock (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This literary masterpiece from Pulitzer prize winning author Steve Coll will blow your mind.The apparent relentless and exhaustive research that made this book shows Colls dedication to bringing the full story to the reader.Beginning with the US support of the Afghan fighters during the Soviet invasion and finishing just days before the attacks on 9/11 Coll will take you on a mind boggling journey encompassing delicate matters such as:the US support of the taliban,the CIA attempts to buy back Stinger missiles it had given to the Mujaheddin for $150,000 apiece!! hare brained and expensive attempts to remove Osama Bin Laden and constant policy changes and in-fighting within the CIA.Throw in the main characters:an impeached president,a president with no clue on foriegn policy,tribal leaders more concerned with personal enrichment than the liberation of their people and radical jihadists like Osama the world hide and seek champion!!Add to this mix the ineptitude of the CIA and you have an extremely interesting plot.Read this book for the story and you will become more informed on the origins of al-Qaeda,the history of Afghanistan and the entanglement of the US government.Study this book and you will see layer upon layer of CIA incompetence,could 9/11 have been prevented?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars to Obama's choice
I like spy non-fiction and selected this book after finding out that Barack Obama read this during his presidential campaign. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Arun Mylavarapu

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
One of the best books I have read in a long time. Using first hand accounts the author pieces together the complex history and the relationsips between the US/Pakistan and... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr Mojo

2.0 out of 5 stars Whats Missing
Well after reading this book, iam think did Steve Coll write the 9/11 Commision Report. As the 9/11 Report blames nobody in the CIA, FBI, NSA for 9/11. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jg Mcilroy

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
This has become my favourite book of all time. Each page is packed with information, the whole book is extensively referenced too. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. S. Rattu

5.0 out of 5 stars You could not want for a better history
This is by far the clearest and most complete account I have yet read about the roots of al-Qaeda. The style of writing is exemplary: this is a big book on a tricky subject and... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Jon D

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
A brilliantly written book which goes into a great deal of detail. I found it interesting that the writing style almost perfectly matched that of Daniel Yergin's, who was also a... Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2007 by Peyman Askari

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive
The definitive account of Afghanistan's dirty wars, from the '79 Soviet Invasion to 10th September 2001. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2006 by Mr. Warren M. Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book you will find on the subject
This is an outstanding piece of journalism by the managing editor of the Washington Post. Very clearly written, Steve Coll details American policy towards Afghanistan from the... Read more
Published on 23 Jul 2006 by apressello

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost Wars
This is a must read for anybody with even a modicum of interest in the complex and inter-woven world of islamic fundamentalism. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2006 by Gary

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost Wars:The Secret History of the CIA
This is most definitely a must-read for anybody with an interest in the complex world of Islamic-Fundamentalism and the part played in its evolution by the worlds only super... Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2006 by Gary

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