Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2001–2016
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- Create Date：2021-08-16 09:55:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Steve Coll
- ISBN：0718194497
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Summary
Resuming the narrative of his Pulitzer Prize-winning
Ghost Wars，
bestselling author Steve Coll tells for the first time the epic and enthralling story of America's intelligence， military， and diplomatic efforts to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 9/11
Prior to 9/11， the United States had been carrying out small-scale covert operations in Afghanistan， ostensibly in cooperation， although often in direct opposition， with I。S。I。， the Pakistani intelligence agency。 While the US was trying to quell extremists， a highly secretive and compartmentalized wing of I。S。I。， known as "Directorate S，" was covertly training， arming， and seeking to legitimize the Taliban， in order to enlarge Pakistan's sphere of influence。 After 9/11， when fifty-nine countries， led by the U。 S。， deployed troops or provided aid to Afghanistan in an effort to flush out the Taliban and Al Qaeda， the U。S。 was set on an invisible slow-motion collision course with Pakistan。
Today we know that the war in Afghanistan would falter badly because of military hubris at the highest levels of the Pentagon， the drain on resources and provocation in Muslim world caused by the U。S。-led invasion of Iraq， and corruption。 But more than anything， as Coll makes painfully clear， the war in Afghanistan was doomed because of the failure of the United States to apprehend the motivations and intentions of I。S。I。's "Directorate S"。 This was a swirling and shadowy struggle of historic proportions， which endured over a decade and across both the Bush and Obama administrations， involving multiple secret intelligence agencies， a litany of incongruous strategies and tactics， and dozens of players， including some of the most prominent military and political figures。 A sprawling American tragedy， the war was an open clash of arms but also a covert melee of ideas， secrets， and subterranean violence。
Coll excavates this grand battle， which took place away from the gaze of the American public。 With unsurpassed expertise， original research， and attention to detail， he brings to life a narrative at once vast and intricate， local and global， propulsive and painstaking。 This is the definitive explanation of how America came to be so badly ensnared in an elaborate， factional， and seemingly interminable conflict in South Asia。 Nothing less than a forensic examination of the personal and political forces that shape world history， Directorate S is a complete masterpiece of both investigative and narrative journalism。
Prior to 9/11， the United States had been carrying out small-scale covert operations in Afghanistan， ostensibly in cooperation， although often in direct opposition， with I。S。I。， the Pakistani intelligence agency。 While the US was trying to quell extremists， a highly secretive and compartmentalized wing of I。S。I。， known as "Directorate S，" was covertly training， arming， and seeking to legitimize the Taliban， in order to enlarge Pakistan's sphere of influence。 After 9/11， when fifty-nine countries， led by the U。 S。， deployed troops or provided aid to Afghanistan in an effort to flush out the Taliban and Al Qaeda， the U。S。 was set on an invisible slow-motion collision course with Pakistan。
Today we know that the war in Afghanistan would falter badly because of military hubris at the highest levels of the Pentagon， the drain on resources and provocation in Muslim world caused by the U。S。-led invasion of Iraq， and corruption。 But more than anything， as Coll makes painfully clear， the war in Afghanistan was doomed because of the failure of the United States to apprehend the motivations and intentions of I。S。I。's "Directorate S"。 This was a swirling and shadowy struggle of historic proportions， which endured over a decade and across both the Bush and Obama administrations， involving multiple secret intelligence agencies， a litany of incongruous strategies and tactics， and dozens of players， including some of the most prominent military and political figures。 A sprawling American tragedy， the war was an open clash of arms but also a covert melee of ideas， secrets， and subterranean violence。
Coll excavates this grand battle， which took place away from the gaze of the American public。 With unsurpassed expertise， original research， and attention to detail， he brings to life a narrative at once vast and intricate， local and global， propulsive and painstaking。 This is the definitive explanation of how America came to be so badly ensnared in an elaborate， factional， and seemingly interminable conflict in South Asia。 Nothing less than a forensic examination of the personal and political forces that shape world history， Directorate S is a complete masterpiece of both investigative and narrative journalism。
Reviews
Christine H
，
A little disappointed。 Ghost Wars was a 5-star book （IMO） so I was expecting the same。 I think that because the time isn’t quite as far in the past， the historical perspective isn’t there in the same way it was for Ghost Wars。 The author has lots of facts and citations， but the narrative doesn’t flow。
Travis
，
DNF
Tariq Mahmood
，
The book reads like an all in one super-spy novel， geopolitical events and personal lives。 Must read for all politically aware Pakistanis looking for answers， it should help deal with few fewer conspiracy theories。 I timed the read well， coinciding with the final removal of American troops from Afghanistan corresponding with the fear in Pakistan of another civil war in Afganistan。 As I read through the recent history of the region it became clear to me that the last civil war only came after the The book reads like an all in one super-spy novel， geopolitical events and personal lives。 Must read for all politically aware Pakistanis looking for answers， it should help deal with few fewer conspiracy theories。 I timed the read well， coinciding with the final removal of American troops from Afghanistan corresponding with the fear in Pakistan of another civil war in Afganistan。 As I read through the recent history of the region it became clear to me that the last civil war only came after the fall of the Soviet Union and not before， which means that the current fear of the return of anarchy in Afghanistan will only become a reality if the withdrawal of American troops is followed up by the destruction of the United States which is a rather smaller possibility。 Afghanistan has been propped up and supported by the USA for a few decades now， so it should be possible for the ANA to take on the Taliban， with the continued support of the USA， so Pakistanis should do well to focus on mundane goals like better education， building a vibrant economy， and providing quality health instead of continuing to bang on about threats to its existence and its 'importance in the region。 I mean why is USA going to ask Pakistan for military bases when it can still have as many bases as it likes in Afghanistan？ 。。。more
Harshil Brahmbhatt
，
A detailed analysis into one of America's most important mission in contemporary history， the book is a delight。 Steve Coll is highly objective and has analyzed various parts of the decade （2001-2011） while documenting important moments from the past in the right context A detailed analysis into one of America's most important mission in contemporary history， the book is a delight。 Steve Coll is highly objective and has analyzed various parts of the decade （2001-2011） while documenting important moments from the past in the right context 。。。more
Kyle Dominguez
，
Very much appreciate being educated on what happened in a region I previously knew nothing about。 Adds a lot of context to being American and the foreign policy our leaders are considering。
Karen Levine
，
Atypically for me， this was a nonfiction book that I didn't want to end， disturbing as it is， just because the story and writing are so compelling。 Now I want to reread Ghost Wars， the precursor to this book， which I read 10-15 years ago。 I happened to be reading Obama's memoir at the same time as this book， and loved the way the two complemented each other regarding the killing of Osama Bin Laden。 Atypically for me， this was a nonfiction book that I didn't want to end， disturbing as it is， just because the story and writing are so compelling。 Now I want to reread Ghost Wars， the precursor to this book， which I read 10-15 years ago。 I happened to be reading Obama's memoir at the same time as this book， and loved the way the two complemented each other regarding the killing of Osama Bin Laden。 。。。more
Robert Sparrenberger
，
There is just too much here。 This is a difficult subject。 There are a lot of people involved and places In Afghanistan to talk about。 People come and go throughout the years and it’s hard to keep everything straight。
Anneke von Seeger
，
Very informative and so so long
Justin Gatt
，
4。5 stars， Goodreads really needs to add half star ratings。
Soumodip
，
Loved it。 Detail Oriented， neutral， balanced Perspective of 14 years of an episodic War。
Daniel
，
Riveting inside look at our political， diplomatic and military exploits in Afghanistan and the tangled webs America weaves working with our equally convoluted and opaque partners in Pakistan。
Aaron Warren
，
An interesting view of the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan's involvement。 An interesting view of the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan's involvement。 。。。more
Adnan Bughio
，
Interestingly with all the mention of India and Isi's and Pak military shouting India India all the time in the book the writer never sheds light on the actual role the India was playing in Afghanistan （ it's of course can not simply be that they were building Afghanistan because they love Muslims just look at Kashmir and how they treat there own Muslim population）。 Plus who was really funding the rouge Pakistan Taliban element。 As the writer keeps on mentioning the support and funding alqaeda o Interestingly with all the mention of India and Isi's and Pak military shouting India India all the time in the book the writer never sheds light on the actual role the India was playing in Afghanistan （ it's of course can not simply be that they were building Afghanistan because they love Muslims just look at Kashmir and how they treat there own Muslim population）。 Plus who was really funding the rouge Pakistan Taliban element。 As the writer keeps on mentioning the support and funding alqaeda or Taliban were getting from either Pakistan or Saudi， without which the Taliban would have not survive there is No mention of who was funding or supporting the Pakistan Taliban the insurgency group behind the killing of civilians in Pakistan。 Either all these loopholes （plot holes） in the book are due to lazy writing or simple manipulative。 。。。more
Beth Griffin
，
Well written， well researched， but proved too “dense” for me， trying to navigate who’s who in a mire of political and military operatives。 In a way， that’s the point of the book: the causal effect of both foreign and domestic mistrust， cultural misunderstanding， misidentification， lack of overall clarity and misguided policies， and vast networks of corruption made for a very messy situation in Afghanistan that prevented any real solution to eradicating the Taliban and terrorist cells， the “reaso Well written， well researched， but proved too “dense” for me， trying to navigate who’s who in a mire of political and military operatives。 In a way， that’s the point of the book: the causal effect of both foreign and domestic mistrust， cultural misunderstanding， misidentification， lack of overall clarity and misguided policies， and vast networks of corruption made for a very messy situation in Afghanistan that prevented any real solution to eradicating the Taliban and terrorist cells， the “reason” the US became involved after 9/11。 A decade later， here we are on the eve of the final US troop withdrawal and not much has changed。 I read this book hoping to gain a better understanding of the US presence in Afghanistan。 I can only say， it’s complicated。 。。。more
Dennis Henn
，
Bailed on this book at 18%。 Too many place names， people names and mission names left me fighting to keep clear on what was happening。 But then， US policy was confused and misinformed， depending on who they were paying off。 Such confusion filtered into the book's flow。No doubt the book was well researched。 No doubt the book is important in understanding US policy in Afghanistan and the rise of special ops and CIA agents doing the work that the military once handled。 However at well over 700 page Bailed on this book at 18%。 Too many place names， people names and mission names left me fighting to keep clear on what was happening。 But then， US policy was confused and misinformed， depending on who they were paying off。 Such confusion filtered into the book's flow。No doubt the book was well researched。 No doubt the book is important in understanding US policy in Afghanistan and the rise of special ops and CIA agents doing the work that the military once handled。 However at well over 700 pages， this book was more than I wanted to tackle。 。。。more
Gauri Parab
，
A clusterfuck of epic proportions， is what I would call America’s war in Afghanistan！ I found myself shaking my head in disbelief and despair on multiple occasions while reading this book， marvelling at the sheer stupidity and callousness of the political and military establishment of all the countries involved。 And it’s still not over。。。。The human toll this war has taken is staggering。 Of course， now that we have the luxury of hindsight， there are so many things that we could have done differen A clusterfuck of epic proportions， is what I would call America’s war in Afghanistan！ I found myself shaking my head in disbelief and despair on multiple occasions while reading this book， marvelling at the sheer stupidity and callousness of the political and military establishment of all the countries involved。 And it’s still not over。。。。The human toll this war has taken is staggering。 Of course， now that we have the luxury of hindsight， there are so many things that we could have done differently。 Incredibly well researched， with enough behind-the-scene drama and scoops to keep you hooked。 A absolute must read！ 。。。more
catechism
，
this book was so， so long。 americans are huge， huge assholes。
Tyree Tucker
，
Excellent insight on operations and strategic relations for the Afghanistan and surrounding areas。 The other book of Ghost Wars helps complete the timeline。
Vic Lauterbach
，
This study provides valuable insight into the key decisions made after 9-11 regarding how to engage Pakistan in the war against Al-Queda。 Generally very readable， some usages stretched my vocabulary notably "。。。 studied government and international relations at crunchy Oberlin college。。。" I had to look that one up in the urban dictionary！ Although certainly not without bias， Mr。 Coll provides a fairly balanced look at how these decisions were driven by legitimate policy concerns and not made arb This study provides valuable insight into the key decisions made after 9-11 regarding how to engage Pakistan in the war against Al-Queda。 Generally very readable， some usages stretched my vocabulary notably "。。。 studied government and international relations at crunchy Oberlin college。。。" I had to look that one up in the urban dictionary！ Although certainly not without bias， Mr。 Coll provides a fairly balanced look at how these decisions were driven by legitimate policy concerns and not made arbitrarily。 Every political choice has risks and consequences， and dealing with Pakistan was extremely difficult。 Mistrust of U。S。 goals and outright hostility to the secular West in general was rife in the Pakistani Army and the I。S。I。 Those powerful institutions considered Afghanistan in their sphere of influence and the Taliban an essential partner in their clandestine war with India。 Years of willingness to ignore Pakistan's obsession with Kashmir and the perceived military threat from India came back to haunt the U。S。 when they tried to compartmentalize the war against Al-Queda。 Pakistan chose to feign cooperation while it continued to pursue its own policies。 That put it on a collision course with the U。S。 Less clear cut are the choices related to the ethnic struggle inside Afghanistan。 Any intervention， however limited， forced the U。S。 to 'take sides' from the Pakistani point of view because it was committed to supporting an Afghanistan dominated by Pashtuns with or without the Taliban。 By supporting the Northern Alliance， the U。S。 found the easiest way to destroy the Taliban government but it made us a de facto ally of the Tajik and Uzbek factions。 That poisoned the well for our dealings with the I。S。I。 which would only support a Pashtun-dominated government in Kabul。 The bulk of this book describes how the I。S。I。 waged a 'war within the war' to impose its will on post-Taliban Afghanistan。 That war goes on today。 Like all asymmetrical guerilla wars， one side can't lose and the other side can't win， so the fighting will continue until the stronger side gives up。 The real losers are the ordinary people of Afghanistan who either resent being dragged into the 21st Century or fear the chaos and civil war that will return after the inevitable failure of West's nation building mission。 Like everyone else， Mr。 Coll finds it amazing that in 2018 the West hadn't admitted its failure and abandoned Afghanistan。 Three years later， the denial continues as a fourth U。S。 administration renews our commitment to 'stability' in Afghanistan， a euphemism for ongoing terrorism and low-intensity warfare。 。。。more
Steve Horton
，
I don't know Steve Coll， but my daughter has a graduate degree with his signature。 I read his Exxon book， Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power， which was okay， but what do you expect from our corporate driven culture。 Exxon Mobil is going to do what it wants to。I was hesitant to start Directorate S， as I thought it might be a CIA hagiography。 However， I found the book incredibly enlightening。 And， in a twist of fate， the endgame is playing out in your newsfeed。 It is like reading a book I don't know Steve Coll， but my daughter has a graduate degree with his signature。 I read his Exxon book， Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power， which was okay， but what do you expect from our corporate driven culture。 Exxon Mobil is going to do what it wants to。I was hesitant to start Directorate S， as I thought it might be a CIA hagiography。 However， I found the book incredibly enlightening。 And， in a twist of fate， the endgame is playing out in your newsfeed。 It is like reading a book as it is happening in front of you， and you already know the backstory。 The research is voluminous and well woven into a gripping narrative。 Kudos to the author and researchers in this bar setting history of the Afghan conflict。SH 。。。more
Bob
，
Exceptionally well researched while remaining very readable。
Lance
，
Very well researched。 If you enjoyed Ghost Wars you will also like this read， it picks up where Ghost Wars left off。 Coll is very straight-forward in his telling of what happened and doesn't pull in punches when talking about what did or did not happen。 A good summary of major events with the insight of how things worked out the way they did。 Definitely worth the read。 Very well researched。 If you enjoyed Ghost Wars you will also like this read， it picks up where Ghost Wars left off。 Coll is very straight-forward in his telling of what happened and doesn't pull in punches when talking about what did or did not happen。 A good summary of major events with the insight of how things worked out the way they did。 Definitely worth the read。 。。。more
Natalie Wainger
，
Wow。 So much info。 So much knowledge gained。 If you’re interested in the Middle East， I recommend。
Sagar Kale
，
Extremely well researched， very lucidly written and sweeping in its coverage。 For any student of foreign policy， international politics or global terrorism， this book is a very enlightening read。 For others， it might come across as an overly detailed account of the US war in Afghanistan。
Vijay
，
Good book covering the history of Afghanistan war from 2001 to 2016。 Give Good insight into how the war was fought。 Though the name of the book is a bit misleading。 There is very little inside information on ISI's directorate S and how it functioned。 So the more appropriate title should have been Afghanistan war。 Good book covering the history of Afghanistan war from 2001 to 2016。 Give Good insight into how the war was fought。 Though the name of the book is a bit misleading。 There is very little inside information on ISI's directorate S and how it functioned。 So the more appropriate title should have been Afghanistan war。 。。。more
Saadi
，
Not as good as the prequel。 Too many unnecessary details but still it's illuminating nevertheless Not as good as the prequel。 Too many unnecessary details but still it's illuminating nevertheless 。。。more
David
，
My third Coll book， a phenomenal （and ultimately really depressing） followup to Ghost Wars。 I always thought Vietnam was the only war America has ever lost。 Nope。
Usama Hamayun
，
Brutal but massively entertaining！！
Wallace Mckenzie
，
Good history of how we got into there and why we are still there。
Junaid
，