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Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

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  • Create Date：2021-09-01 09:55:18
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Steve Coll
  • ISBN：0141020806
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Summary

The news-breaking book that has sent shockwaves through the Bush White House， Ghost Wars is the most accurate and revealing account yet of the CIA's secret involvement in al-Qaeda's evolution。 It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005。

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 Bin 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 terrorism in the years leading to 9/11 - and its devastating consequences。

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Reviews

Becky ，

A difficult read for many reasons。 The people of Afghanistan have suffered so much， for so long。 I definitely learned a lot from this book。 I wish historians were more involved in Foreign Policy。 There is just so much nuance to how history， alliances， clans， agreements and deals play out over and over and over。 Good decisions just can't be made by looking at a snapshot in time。 I hope the U。S。 has learned something， but I'm not confident。 A difficult read for many reasons。 The people of Afghanistan have suffered so much， for so long。 I definitely learned a lot from this book。 I wish historians were more involved in Foreign Policy。 There is just so much nuance to how history， alliances， clans， agreements and deals play out over and over and over。 Good decisions just can't be made by looking at a snapshot in time。 I hope the U。S。 has learned something， but I'm not confident。 。。。more

Dennis ，

Very well researched。 I found this book to be very informative。 I would highly recommend this book for those interested in what led up to the events on September 11， 2001。

Melynda ，

🤯 I did not realize Osama Bin Laden was a player during Clinton’s presidency…I mean， I was a teenager。

Omar ，

A tour de force of journalism translated into narrative non-fiction on pre-9/11 history from the 80s until September 10， 2001。 An enthralling but lengthy read with heavy topics that examines the complexities of foreign relations， geopolitics， intelligence agencies， radicalism， and war。 The symbiotic and triangular relationship between the CIA/US， Saudis/Bin Laden， and Afghanistan/Taliban/resistance fighters is weaved together masterfully here。 I had this paradoxical feeling while reading that 9 A tour de force of journalism translated into narrative non-fiction on pre-9/11 history from the 80s until September 10， 2001。 An enthralling but lengthy read with heavy topics that examines the complexities of foreign relations， geopolitics， intelligence agencies， radicalism， and war。 The symbiotic and triangular relationship between the CIA/US， Saudis/Bin Laden， and Afghanistan/Taliban/resistance fighters is weaved together masterfully here。 I had this paradoxical feeling while reading that 9/11 was both inevitable and preventable。 All in all， no surprise here that this book won the Pulitzer。 Steve Coll's a great writer in the sense that it's an easy read/page turner even though each page is dense with information。 It drags in some sections， but those final chapters are riveting。 Lastly， some light research is needed to make the big picture here more coherent。 5/5 。。。more

Yashar ，

It was an informative book。 Its defection， in my opinion， was an unrealistically rosy picture of Ahmad Shah Masoud given by the author。 I think that it was misleading。 The performance of his deputies and allies， e。g。， Amrullah Saleh， Abdullah Abdullah， Dostum， etc。， in the post-Taliban regime （2001-2021）， indicates that the super positive description of Masoud in this book should not be accurate。

Beth Griffin ，

I read Ghost Wars after I read Coll’s Directorate S。 I recommend reading each book in Coll’s intended sequence （Ghost Wars first） for a better understanding of the US involvement in Afghanistan。 Coll’s excellent compilation of investigation and analysis does help answer the question， “Why was the US in Afghanistan ？” Ghost Wars， as well as Directorate S， are extremely well written and are frustrating at times because of the subject matter。 Given that Afghanistan fell to the Taliban just days ago I read Ghost Wars after I read Coll’s Directorate S。 I recommend reading each book in Coll’s intended sequence （Ghost Wars first） for a better understanding of the US involvement in Afghanistan。 Coll’s excellent compilation of investigation and analysis does help answer the question， “Why was the US in Afghanistan ？” Ghost Wars， as well as Directorate S， are extremely well written and are frustrating at times because of the subject matter。 Given that Afghanistan fell to the Taliban just days ago after all but essential US troops withdrew， Coll’s books clearly elucidate the writing on the wall for such an outcome。 The last line in Ghost Wars partly sums it up。 Read the entire book and then Directorate S and you’ll understand。 。。。more

Mike Van Heusen ，

A comprehensive history of Afghan wars

v ，

This ably researched and approachably written book provides an engaging account of the now orthodox interpretation of the background to the American War in Afghanistan: the Reagan-era CIA went bananas in Afghanistan to stop the Soviets without caring much about the future consequences， Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were shady or at least predictably self-interested， and institutional misdirection and miscommunication frustratingly bungled things leading up to 9/11。 That doesn't seem totally wrong， b This ably researched and approachably written book provides an engaging account of the now orthodox interpretation of the background to the American War in Afghanistan: the Reagan-era CIA went bananas in Afghanistan to stop the Soviets without caring much about the future consequences， Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were shady or at least predictably self-interested， and institutional misdirection and miscommunication frustratingly bungled things leading up to 9/11。 That doesn't seem totally wrong， but neither is it totally convincing。 I was more disappointed by Steve Coll's lack of interest in either asking or even thoroughly explaining the big questions， like why the Soviets invaded and the Americans meddled in the first place， why American policy was so slow to appreciate Afghanistan and terrorism， and why Islamic fundamentalism developed as it did。 He prefers to write about cables， cabinets， and foreshadowed fuck-ups。 Fully adequate journalism， but not enlightening history。 。。。more

Rajendra ，

A gripping history of events leading to 9/11。

Matthew ，

An incredibly detailed history of the quagmire that was Afghanistan and this is prior to 9/11 and leading up to 9/11。 I read this about 15 years too late and couldn't get over how depressing it was to see that 20 years after launching the US war in Afghanistan， I turn on the news and see the Taliban still there and taking over territory。 An incredibly detailed history of the quagmire that was Afghanistan and this is prior to 9/11 and leading up to 9/11。 I read this about 15 years too late and couldn't get over how depressing it was to see that 20 years after launching the US war in Afghanistan， I turn on the news and see the Taliban still there and taking over territory。 。。。more

Neil M ，

Excellent book。 If you want to know what is going to happen to Afghanistan now （2021） then read this。 The reason is the same - geo-political tampering。 It is packed with detail and really shows that politicians don’t ever， ever， learn lessons。

Lawrence Roth ，

I listened to the Audible audiobook。Malcolm Hillgartner's voice once again takes me on a highly detailed journey into the depths of the precursor decades to the War on Terror。 His words， written by author Steve Coll， delivers an extraordinarily detailed timeline of America's involvement in Central Asia， particularly Afghanistan， from the Soviet-Afghan war right up to September 10， 2001 as the title says。 This book is the slow motion buildup to a disaster that the reader is already quite familiar I listened to the Audible audiobook。Malcolm Hillgartner's voice once again takes me on a highly detailed journey into the depths of the precursor decades to the War on Terror。 His words， written by author Steve Coll， delivers an extraordinarily detailed timeline of America's involvement in Central Asia， particularly Afghanistan， from the Soviet-Afghan war right up to September 10， 2001 as the title says。 This book is the slow motion buildup to a disaster that the reader is already quite familiar with。 With that in mind， I believe， Coll was able to focus his efforts not on exploring how 9/11 happened （there are numerous volumes and a Congressional report already detailing that aspect of modern Afghan history） but the background to it。 The reader is introduced to the incredibly complex world of Central Asian politics， but Coll does a good job of breaking everything down for the reader。 While I will let Coll explain to you that detail， what I can offer in this review is assurance that this read is incredibly worthwhile if you don't mind some dense detail。 But at the time of this writing， the United States is engaged in pulling all its forces out of Afghanistan by September 2021。 Perhaps it would be a good idea to look at history to see how we got to this point， and observe how a power vacuum in Afghanistan with a resurgent Taliban may play out。 Not that 1996 is the same as 2021 by any stretch of the imagination， let's not be foolish here。 Al Qaeda may not find as friendly a haven in Afghanistan as they once did， and the Taliban， despite their massive territorial "dominance"， may have a more difficult time conquering the country if Kabul receives more foreign aide from the U。S。 What Ghost Wars does is show how history rhymes。 You will be escorted through the tragic timeline of post Soviet invasion Afghanistan。 You'll see how the CIA lent Stinger missiles to mujaheddin to counter Spetznaz helicopter raids。 You'll witness the intense fighting between Hekmatyar's Islamists and Massoud's Tajiks。 You'll explore the backroom politics of how Saudi Arabia and the Pakistani intelligence service ISI supported the expansion of the new religious student movement called the Taliban。 You'll witness how a wealthy， educated man called Osama bin Laden broke with his Saudi family to lay the groundwork for a truly global Islamist terror network beyond anything done before。 You'll witness how multiple U。S。 Presidents of both parties shrugged their shoulders at Afghanistan （a country with little import to the sole remaining superpower in the world）， much to the chagrin of intelligence analysts who had been sounding alarms about the rising threat of Al Qaeda。 Coll has since written a follow up book， which I intend to read/listen to quite soon。 I expect the same level of high quality research and therefore a similarly riveting true story of the post 9/11 War on Terror up till 2019。 Even leaving Coll's work， this book fits in well with other highly detailed history books I've read about Central Asia， the War on Terror， and terror groups。 A high recommend from me。 Americans should start learning about The Long War so as to not repeat it once again。 。。。more

Andrew Roosa ，

Important context surrounding 9/11， from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to 9/10/2001。

Adwaith S S ，

Anything and everything about the Afgan affairs。 The involvement of various governments， the rise of warlords， the rise of the Taliban and the role of the CIA。 Best for a deeper understanding of what's currently happening in Afghanistan。 Even though bulky it's a page-turner。 Anything and everything about the Afgan affairs。 The involvement of various governments， the rise of warlords， the rise of the Taliban and the role of the CIA。 Best for a deeper understanding of what's currently happening in Afghanistan。 Even though bulky it's a page-turner。 。。。more

Dave Hunt ，

Excellent and though provoking。

Abhi ，

4。5/5It’s rare for me to give such a high rating for a book that I did not properly read。 I was diligent through the first 2 parts but very loosely skimmed part 3 because I struggled to maintain interest。 This is a me problem with nonfiction in general and that’s why I need it in small doses at most。However I cannot at all take away from all the work that has been put into compiling this by Coll。 He lays the political landscape surrounding Afghanistan from 1979 to 2001 expertly。 There is so much 4。5/5It’s rare for me to give such a high rating for a book that I did not properly read。 I was diligent through the first 2 parts but very loosely skimmed part 3 because I struggled to maintain interest。 This is a me problem with nonfiction in general and that’s why I need it in small doses at most。However I cannot at all take away from all the work that has been put into compiling this by Coll。 He lays the political landscape surrounding Afghanistan from 1979 to 2001 expertly。 There is so much detail， and while this in some ways backfired for me， in all the events and people described。 And it’s all properly referenced as well。If you want to learn about American involvement with Afghanistan/Pakistan/Saudi Arabia in the 80s and 90s to learn what helped pave the way for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and rise of Bin Laden， this book has you covered right down to every last detail。 。。。more

David Jonathan Montano ，

With allies like these， who needs to re-strategize！ "Ghost Wars" is like watching a car crash， a -very- toxic relationship， and a loud bar fight happen all at once， in slow-motion。 Steve Coll captures the grand scope of America's Middle-East policy in accessible terms by showcasing many different bureaucratic actors' personal observations and motivations after-the-fact。 This inside-out narrative allows for a dramatic， yet informative version of history that reads like a dispatch from the distant With allies like these， who needs to re-strategize！ "Ghost Wars" is like watching a car crash， a -very- toxic relationship， and a loud bar fight happen all at once， in slow-motion。 Steve Coll captures the grand scope of America's Middle-East policy in accessible terms by showcasing many different bureaucratic actors' personal observations and motivations after-the-fact。 This inside-out narrative allows for a dramatic， yet informative version of history that reads like a dispatch from the distant past rather than a critical or didactic re-telling of America's misadventures in the Middle East。 There is abundant attention given to every facet of every relevant nation state's foreign policy towards Afghanistan's precarious internal stability， with special attention to the competing interests of the CIA， State Department and White House Offices。 If you want to feel sick about how useless a bloated and indolent bureaucracy can get， look no further than the many paragraphs devoted to how much beef the State Department has with -literally everybody-。 That being said， the machinations of our national security apparatus were a joy to read about。A special aside must be given to how much this book invests in the （view spoiler）[ tragedy of Ahmad Shah Massoud （hide spoiler）] who is present from the beginning。 While "Ghost Wars" certainly doesn't lionize him or paint him out to be the un-used silver bullet against Osama Bin Laden and the radical elements of Pakistan/the Taliban， his story was frustrating， if not， at least illuminating。 Rating: 4/5， a good pick up for newbies and groupies"Washington's broader counterterrorist bureaucracy in 1993 was dispersed， plagued by interagency rivalries， and fraying under budgetary pressure" （pg 253）。 。。。more

David DeRienzo ，

Spent a year in Afghanistan， but I never understood it until I read this book。 Wow。

Austin Wesley ，

Fantastic book chronicling the rise of Al Qaeda and the US involvement in Afghanistan。

Sarah P。 ，

Brilliant historical narrative of Afghanistan， the CIA， and geopolitics。 Blown away by Steve Coll！

Mehmet Sertgil ，

It is 4，5 actually。 Especially I recommend this book to conspiracy theorists。

Amitosh Kumar ，

Overall a very good account how US created Monster and how monster turned hurt it big time。 Having said that the book doesn't looks convincing at times and looks strayed from the point。It would have been a 300 page book rather than 570 something。 Overall a very good account how US created Monster and how monster turned hurt it big time。 Having said that the book doesn't looks convincing at times and looks strayed from the point。It would have been a 300 page book rather than 570 something。 。。。more

Ku ，

A terrific book about the CIA involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan。 It can be summed us our friend is our friend until they try to kill us。

John ，

Seems complete & informative - some speculation & interpretation that may or may not be marred by selective memory of the participants in a strange web of powers & counter-powers all vying for support from the US， Iran， Pakistan， China， Russia 。。。

Keith Daniels ，

The CIA in Afghanistan as expressed in quotes from The Simpsons:"Principal Skinner: Well， I was wrong。 The lizards are a godsend。Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted？ What happens when we're overrun by lizards？Principal Skinner: No problem。 We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes。 They'll wipe out the lizards。Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse？Principal Skinner: Yes， but we're prepared for that。 We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat。Lisa: The CIA in Afghanistan as expressed in quotes from The Simpsons:"Principal Skinner: Well， I was wrong。 The lizards are a godsend。Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted？ What happens when we're overrun by lizards？Principal Skinner: No problem。 We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes。 They'll wipe out the lizards。Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse？Principal Skinner: Yes， but we're prepared for that。 We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat。Lisa: Then we're stuck with gorillas！Principal Skinner: No， that's the beautiful part。 When wintertime rolls around， the gorillas simply freeze to death。Lisa: Hmm。" 。。。more

Krishna Prasanna ，

This isn't a review。 I cannot write one， for this book's worth is impossible to access or critique。What an unlucky， unlucky country。。。Steve Coll has done a brilliant job in condensing almost two decades worth of multi-national， multi-organizational， a bitter and an incessant conflict in a 600 pager。 I cannot even imagine the research that must have gone into creating this book。 There were many actors who played their part in tragic history of Afghanistan - and their acts have repercussions even This isn't a review。 I cannot write one， for this book's worth is impossible to access or critique。What an unlucky， unlucky country。。。Steve Coll has done a brilliant job in condensing almost two decades worth of multi-national， multi-organizational， a bitter and an incessant conflict in a 600 pager。 I cannot even imagine the research that must have gone into creating this book。 There were many actors who played their part in tragic history of Afghanistan - and their acts have repercussions even today。 A recommended read for anyone who wishes to understand the origins and course of the Islamic radicalism in Afghanistan and the role of CIA in its wake， as presented by an American author。This book ends with the World Trade Center attack。 It's sequel Directorate S covers the aftermath of 9/11 attacks。 。。。more

Johannes ，

I'm jealous of writers who can present such complicated histories so succinctly。 I'm jealous of writers who can present such complicated histories so succinctly。 。。。more

Akash Parakh ，

For students & followers intrigued by GeoPolitics， this is an absolute delight。 Transparent & lucid to read， is a definite page turner。 Deep insights into events thanks to multiple sources & brilliant research make this a modern GeoPolitical masterpiece。 That is why 5 stars ！！

Ian ，

Well-written and has some interesting historical bits， but feels less like a “secret history” and more like the CIA-approved， whitewashed version of events。

Tariq Mahmood ，

Steve argues that the USA's government indecision to tackle Bin Laden allowed him to execute 9/11， which is true but could the global call for Jihad would have died down after Bin Laden's arrest without the 9/11 bombing？ I think the sequence was critical， before 9/11 terrorism was considered to be harmful but manageable。 The definition 'a few casualties but a lot of publicity was tolerated， but 9/11 changed the attitude。 9/11 changed the definition to ' loads of casualties with a lot of publicit Steve argues that the USA's government indecision to tackle Bin Laden allowed him to execute 9/11， which is true but could the global call for Jihad would have died down after Bin Laden's arrest without the 9/11 bombing？ I think the sequence was critical， before 9/11 terrorism was considered to be harmful but manageable。 The definition 'a few casualties but a lot of publicity was tolerated， but 9/11 changed the attitude。 9/11 changed the definition to ' loads of casualties with a lot of publicity， raising terrorism's status to 'war'。 So not only was 9/11 necessary evil for the West but ISIS conducted atrocities that were critical for the Middle East to force the world （West and Islam） to start taking the new definition of terrorism seriously。 This brings me to the present-day political situation in Pakistan。 Pakistanis are clearly becoming more Islamic。 It's a moral version， Islam for an average Pakistani is emotional， they will defend the Prophets honour with their lives; just wondering what sort of damage will sufficient to make them see the fallacy in their moral argument？ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0