
War Against the Taliban
Why It All Went Wrong in Afghanistan
Sandy Gall(Author)
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published on 19. January 2012
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-4088-0905-1 (ISBN)
Description
Since the days of Alexander the Great, Afghanistan's strategically significant lands have been fought over by foreign invaders. Today, as yet another generation risks life and limb in this inhospitable territory, an ever-rising death toll puts back under the spotlight almost daily the way the modern war in Afghanistan is being run, and demands answers.
Drawing on over a hundred interviews with Afghan politicians, businessmen and ordinary people, and British, American and European diplomats and soldiers, Sandy Gall shines fresh light on the failure to capture Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora and - equally disastrous - American and British gullibility in the face of Pakistan's continued tolerance of the Taliban. He asks why the reconstruction of Afghanistan has withered on the vine; and how we have allowed a Presidential style of government to concentrate power in one man's hands, under whom - amid cronyism and corruption - the Taliban insurgency only grows ever stronger.
But is it too late? Examining the emotive issue of equipment shortages, exposing the extent to which the drug trade has corrupted the country, and assessing the accusation of endemic, systemic failure within the MOD, Sandy Gall addresses the challenges - political, religious, military - that face those now fighting on the most dangerous frontier in the world.
Drawing on over a hundred interviews with Afghan politicians, businessmen and ordinary people, and British, American and European diplomats and soldiers, Sandy Gall shines fresh light on the failure to capture Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora and - equally disastrous - American and British gullibility in the face of Pakistan's continued tolerance of the Taliban. He asks why the reconstruction of Afghanistan has withered on the vine; and how we have allowed a Presidential style of government to concentrate power in one man's hands, under whom - amid cronyism and corruption - the Taliban insurgency only grows ever stronger.
But is it too late? Examining the emotive issue of equipment shortages, exposing the extent to which the drug trade has corrupted the country, and assessing the accusation of endemic, systemic failure within the MOD, Sandy Gall addresses the challenges - political, religious, military - that face those now fighting on the most dangerous frontier in the world.
Reviews / Votes
What makes this book stand out from all the other current writing about the war in Afghanistan is the depth of Sandy Gall's knowledge of the country and his intense sympathy for its people ... Anyone who wants to understand what is happening in Afghanistan cannot afford to ignore this book * Times Literary Supplement * Highly readable ... a well-informed account of the litany of disastrous miscalculations that have befallen the West's involvement since the September 11 attacks * Daily Telegraph * Gall knows the Afghans as well as anyone alive * Scotland on Sunday * What emerges most sharply ... is Sandy Gall's love for these people, his pain on behalf of their devastated country * Doris Lessing on Afghanistan: Agony of a Nation * A passionate tribute to the spirit of the Mujahideen * Sunday Express * Sharply focused and crisply written * Financial Times * Reminded me of Hemingway * Punch *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
Weight
664 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4088-0905-1 (9781408809051)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/2012
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
€14.49
Available for download
Person
Sandy Gall CBE, is a British journalist, author, and former ITN news presenter. His career as a journalist spans over fifty years. Sandy Gall has written several books about Afghanistan and made three documentaries about the country during the Soviet War (two of which were nominated for BAFTA awards).
Sandy Gall and his wife also set up the Sandy Gall Afghanistan Appeal charity, which provides support to people who have lost limbs in combat. Gall was awarded the Lawrence of Arabia Memorial Medal in 1987, and the CBE in 1987. In 2003 he became the World Affairs Expert on LBC Radio. In 2010 he was awarded the Order of St Michael and St George for services to the people of Afghanistan. He lives in Kent with his wife, Eleanor Gall.
Sandy Gall and his wife also set up the Sandy Gall Afghanistan Appeal charity, which provides support to people who have lost limbs in combat. Gall was awarded the Lawrence of Arabia Memorial Medal in 1987, and the CBE in 1987. In 2003 he became the World Affairs Expert on LBC Radio. In 2010 he was awarded the Order of St Michael and St George for services to the people of Afghanistan. He lives in Kent with his wife, Eleanor Gall.