Afghan Napoleon
The Life of Ahmad Shah Massoud
Published on 7. September 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
443 pages
978-1-913368-64-7 (ISBN)
Description
When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the forces of resistance were disparate and divided mujahideen groups, as interested in fighting each other and competing for Western arms as opposing the Russians. The exception was Ahmed Shah Massoud, the military strategist and political operator who solidified the resistance and undermined the Russian occupation by leading its members to a series of defensive victories.
Sandy Gall was embedded with Massoud during Soviet offences and reported on the war in Afghanistan for a number of years. He has now written an illuminating biography of this charismatic guerrilla commander, which contains excerpts from the surviving volumes of Massoud's diaries. Massoud's prolific diary-keeping was little known during his lifetime, and his entries detail crucial moments in his life and throw fascinating light on his struggles, both in the resistance and in his personal life. Born into an ostensibly liberalising Afghanistan in the 1960s, Massoud ardently opposed communism and Mohammed Daoud, Afghanistan's puppet leader. He quickly rose to prominence and distinguished himself by coordinating the defence of the Panjshir Valley against repeated Soviet offensives. As the occupation wore on, Massoud became the resistance's unifying force.
Massoud's assassination in 2001 presaged the attack on the Twin Towers just two days later and it is widely believed to have been ordered by Osama bin Laden. Forever the underdog in a life dominated by conflict, Massoud's attempts to build political consensus in Afghanistan were ultimately frustrated. Despite that, he is recognised today as a national hero.
Sandy Gall was embedded with Massoud during Soviet offences and reported on the war in Afghanistan for a number of years. He has now written an illuminating biography of this charismatic guerrilla commander, which contains excerpts from the surviving volumes of Massoud's diaries. Massoud's prolific diary-keeping was little known during his lifetime, and his entries detail crucial moments in his life and throw fascinating light on his struggles, both in the resistance and in his personal life. Born into an ostensibly liberalising Afghanistan in the 1960s, Massoud ardently opposed communism and Mohammed Daoud, Afghanistan's puppet leader. He quickly rose to prominence and distinguished himself by coordinating the defence of the Panjshir Valley against repeated Soviet offensives. As the occupation wore on, Massoud became the resistance's unifying force.
Massoud's assassination in 2001 presaged the attack on the Twin Towers just two days later and it is widely believed to have been ordered by Osama bin Laden. Forever the underdog in a life dominated by conflict, Massoud's attempts to build political consensus in Afghanistan were ultimately frustrated. Despite that, he is recognised today as a national hero.
Reviews / Votes
"A new book drawing on... years of reporting from Afghanistan and Massoud's personal diaries."-- "Diplomat" "Ahmad Shah Massoud was one of the greatest military commanders of the 20th century and was instrumental in forcing the Soviets to retreat from Afghanistan in 1989. Yet, he is now barely known in the West. That will surely change as a result of Gall's authoritative, beautifully written and deeply reported biography of Massoud."--Peter Bergen, author of The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden "Gall's knowledge of the jihad is encyclopaedic. He was the first well-known journalist to make the dangerous journey into occupied Afghanistan and bring the human cost of this terrible war to our TV screens. To produce such a book at the age of 93 deserves admiration. . . .A strength of Gall's book is its detailed discussion of Pakistan's malign interference in Afghanistan, where the Taliban are their proxy force."--Matthew Leeming "Spectator" "I can think of no one better than the legendary foreign correspondent Sandy Gall to tell the compelling story of Ahmad Shah Massoud's extraordinary life and death. . . . Gall weaves analysis, first-hand reporting and primary sources into a brilliant and important book."--Jeremy Bowen "The unputdownable story of an authentic Afghan hero by one of the greatest chroniclers of modern Afghanistan's travails, and occasional triumphs."--Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, former British Ambassador to Afghanistan, and British Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan "This book is essential reading for those who want an insider's understanding of the Afghan civil war."-- "Literary Review" "This is a remarkable book, both a coruscating memoir by Gall and a revealing insight into a guerrilla leader--one whose reputation ranks with the icons of revolutionary insurgency and whose thinking is here revealed in his own words."--Hew Strachan "When conceived several years ago, the book was planned as the largely admiring record of one of the great might-have-beens of history, and also-obliquely-as the last testament of the gallant Sandy Gall himself, who will be 94 in October. It remains both of those things, but the events of the past fortnight also give an urgency to the story."--Charles Moore "Telegraph" "With the West's own military venture in Afghanistan now unravelling, Gall's book serves two timely purposes. One is to retell Massoud's legendary campaign against the Soviets, which saw him dubbed 'the Afghan who won the Cold War'. The other, though, is to ask whether more Western support for him in the 1990s could have led to a better Afghanistan."--Colin Freeman "Telegraph" "Afghan Napoleon: The Life of Ahmad Shah Massoud by British journalist Sandy Gall, dedicated to Afghanistan's illustrious statesman, is a remarkable undertaking that delves into the multifaceted intricacies of a nation devastated by war and ruined by its adverse geography."-- "Eurasia Review" "Afghan Napoleon offers an overdue portrait of one of the most remarkable figures of the twentieth century. Napoleon tried to conquer the world; Massoud by contrast fought the world-scale Soviet empire to a stand still on behalf of his people from a tiny valley in Afghanistan. In this book we see, not just the daily nuts and bolts of his military genius but catch glimpses of the social graces and the warmth that made this man so beloved among his followers."--Tamim Ansary, author of The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and ConnectionMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
1 map and 34 b/w images
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-913368-64-7 (9781913368647)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2021
Haus Publishing
€27.99
Available for download
Persons
Sandy Gall is a journalist, author, documentary producer, and newscaster. He has reported from conflict zones across the world and is the recipient of many awards for his journalism and documentary work. Rory Stewart was the UK Secretary of State for International Development and is currently a senior fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University.
Content
Introduction by Rory Stewart // ix
Author's Note // xvi
Translator's Note // xix
Prologue // 1
1. The British 'Find' Massoud // 3
2. Were We Nearly Shot?: Meeting Massoud // 9
3. The Boy Who Loved Playing Soldiers // 19
4. The Coup that Failed: Exile in Pakistan // 26
5. Bombed by the Russians in the Panjsher // 34
6. The Russians Propose a Ceasefire // 51
7. Massoud Deals with the Russians // 61
8. Marriage and War // 85
9. Defeat and Failure: 'Am I Afraid of Death?' // 90
10. The Russian Perspective // 112
11. A Winter Offensive // 117
12. Massoud Takes Farkhar // 138
13. Expanding in the North // 149
14. The Russians Prepare to Withdraw // 162
15. Massoud Captures Kabul // 179
16. Under Siege: Massoud in Kabul // 189
17. Tea and Rockets with the Taliban // 211
18. Mortal Enemies // 225
19. Massoud Retreats from Kabul // 228
20. A Low Ebb // 234
21. 'My Father was Incorruptible' // 261
22. Massoud Visits Euurope // 269
23. How They Killed Massoud // 274
24. The Eve of Assassination // 290
25. A Final Encounter // 299
Epilogue // 309
Acknowledgements // 315
Select Bibliography // 317
Notes // 319
Index // 341
Author's Note // xvi
Translator's Note // xix
Prologue // 1
1. The British 'Find' Massoud // 3
2. Were We Nearly Shot?: Meeting Massoud // 9
3. The Boy Who Loved Playing Soldiers // 19
4. The Coup that Failed: Exile in Pakistan // 26
5. Bombed by the Russians in the Panjsher // 34
6. The Russians Propose a Ceasefire // 51
7. Massoud Deals with the Russians // 61
8. Marriage and War // 85
9. Defeat and Failure: 'Am I Afraid of Death?' // 90
10. The Russian Perspective // 112
11. A Winter Offensive // 117
12. Massoud Takes Farkhar // 138
13. Expanding in the North // 149
14. The Russians Prepare to Withdraw // 162
15. Massoud Captures Kabul // 179
16. Under Siege: Massoud in Kabul // 189
17. Tea and Rockets with the Taliban // 211
18. Mortal Enemies // 225
19. Massoud Retreats from Kabul // 228
20. A Low Ebb // 234
21. 'My Father was Incorruptible' // 261
22. Massoud Visits Euurope // 269
23. How They Killed Massoud // 274
24. The Eve of Assassination // 290
25. A Final Encounter // 299
Epilogue // 309
Acknowledgements // 315
Select Bibliography // 317
Notes // 319
Index // 341