Thread by @readingum

---THREAD---

13/100 #100booksby2021
⚬Title: #ghostwars
⚬Author: Steve Coll
⚬Genre: IR
⚬Description:Secret history of CIA, Afghanistan&BinLaden from Soviet Invasion to Sep 10,2001
⚬Length: 712Pages
⚬Published: 2004
⚬Award: Won 2005 Pulitzer Prize for general NonFiction.

Contents...

US embassy in Kabul had been shut for security reasons since January 1989, so there was no CIA station in Afghanistan from which to collect intelligence about Taliban or the sources of their newfound strength.
#ghostwars authored by Steve Coll.

Osama bin-Laden had flown into Afghanistan in May 1996.
He had been living in Sudan during previous 4 years but now Govt. had expelled him.His native country KSA had stripped him of citizenship.
US, Egypt & Algeria complained that he financed violent Islamic terrorist groups.

With decaration of Jihad from bin-Laden, CIA want to get their own Stinger missiles back,that were used by Afghan rebels to down scores of Soviet aircrafts b/w 1986-1989.
B/W 2000-2500 missiles had been given to Afghan rebels.
Going rate per missile ranged b/w 80,000-150,000$.

An Islamic group's leader Juhayman al-Utaybi,he chained shut the Gates of Kabaa locking thousands of worshipers inside.The mosque's imaam declined to ratify new saviour&his gang began shouting.
Who had sponsored the attack?
There were rumours tht US & Israel stood behind attack.

KSA&French commandos routd armed attacks at Grand Mosque in bloody gun battle.
US treasury secretary,William Miller flew to KSA.He hoped to reassure Saudi investors,who had about $30Billion on deposit in US banks.
KSA soon stoped Saudi girls from contnuing their education abroad.

In response to Grand Mosque attack,15000 rioters streamed out in Pakistan&attackd US Embassy in Islamabad&imprisoned 139 personnel.
Inside CIA station on 3rd floor,deputy chief of station,Bob Lessard&Gary Schreon checkd station's incinerators&prepard to burn classified documents.

All of the people in compound have been removed & taken to safety thanks to Pakistani troops.
President Carter thanks Zia for his assistance & Zia expressed regret about the loss of life.
Two Pakistani employes & an american airman(Brian Ellis) were found dead.
#ghostwars

Ayatollah Khomeini said
"It was great joy for us to learn about uprising in Pakistan against US. Borders should not separate hearts. Bcz of propaganda, people are afraid of superpowers & they think that superpowers can't be touched. This would be proven false".
#ghostwars

Afghan Communist Govt. had killed almost 20,000 citizens in Herat in response to death of more than 12 Russian Communist Political Advisers by followers of Afghan Army Captain Ismail Khan.
We will be labeled aggressor but under no circumstancs can we lose 🇦🇫,KGB officers seethed.

🇦🇫 is not ready to rsolve all issues through socialism.The Economy is backward,Rural pop. is illiterate.
"Lenin taught us to be merciless towards
the enemies of the revolution and millions of people had to be eliminated in order to secure the victory of the October Revolution."

President Carter authorized CIA to spend $500000 on propaganda&to provide radio equipment,medical supplies&cash to Afghan rebels.
General ZiaulHaq might be willing to step up his support for Afghan rebels, unless US committed to protect 🇵🇰 from Soviet retaliation,CIA reported.
.

In Sep1978 Hafizullah Amin managed to oust,later execute Afghan Communist Soviet backed Taraki.KGB initially planted stories tht Amin was CIA agent.
Amin should be killed to save Afghan revolution from CIA penetration,KGB officers reportd.
Later on Amin was killed by KGB officers

Meeting in Moscow, Politburo's inner circle made 1st tentavie decision to invade 🇦🇫 on Nov26,1979.
"Our ultimate goal is withdrawl of Soviet troops from 🇦🇫 even if this is not attainable,we would make Soviet involvement as costly as possible." Brzezinski wrote in Top secret memo.

Howard Hart had arrived in🇵🇰 in May1981 as CIA chief of station to arm anti-Soviet guerrillas in 🇦🇫
"Every man will be king,he believed of Afghans& encouraged Mujahedin to fight in small bands of 50-100 men. One of ways to manage war properly is don't worry about little details."

Hart concluded within months tht war should be expanded.He had handscrewd a new list of weapons tht would make mujahedin more effective.Guns for everyone!was Howard's preference.
He even suggestd,Pakistanis put a bounty on Soviet soldier,10K for special soldier,5k for conscript.

ZiaulHaq turnd down Carter's offer of $400M dismissng it as peanuts&was rewarded with $3.2B from Presidnt Reagan+permission to buy F-16.Zia insistd that every gun&dollar allocated for Mujahdin pass through🇵🇰hand.
Without Zia's support🇦🇫resistance is effectively dead,Shultz added.

Congressmen authorized annual budgets for CIA Afghan prgrm in each of Oct-Oct fiscal year.Amounts soared during Hart's tour to Islamabad from about $30M in1981 to about $200M in1984.
Hart said,"What Afghanis are saying to us is Winston Churchill:Give us tools&we will do the job."

"Can it possibly be any better than buying bullets from Chinese to use to shoot Russians?" Asked one CIA officer involved in Afghan program.
#ghostwars authored by Steve Coll.

"We don't do operations."
Prince Turki al-Faisal (He hold the directorship of Saudi General Intelligence Department or "GID" for more than two decades) once told a CIA colleague, "We don't know how. All we know how to do is write checks."
#ghostwars authored by Steve Coll.

Saui Arabia's five year Government budget from 1969-1974 was $9.2B. During the next five years it was $142B.
Just a generation removed from nomadic poverty, the Kingdom was on a forced march to the computer age.
#ghostwars

Each year Saudis sent their part of money for Afghan prgrm to their embassy in Washington which was then transferred to Swiss bank account controlled by CIA.
Turki was most humble,modest Arab prince&completely free of common Arab prejudices towards non-Arab,recalled ISI Operator.

Prince Turki's father (King Faisal) & Osama bin Laden's father (Mohammed bin Laden) were friends.
King Faisal appointed Osama's father as his minister of public works.
"I loved Osama & considered him a good citizen of KSA," said Ahmed Badeeb, key aid of Turki's GID.
#ghostwars

"Osama seemed to be very pleasent man,very shy, soft spoken&didn't speak much at all,"Turki recalled.
" 🇵🇰saw in him one who was helping them do what they wanted done there"Badeeb recalled.
Afghanis regarded Osama as a nice&generous person who has money&good contacts with Saudis.

Till 1984 Mujahdin had killd/wounded 17000 Soviet soldiers&had destroyd about 2750 Soviet tanks.They controlld 62% of countryside&had become so effective tht Soviet would hv to triple or quadruple their deployments in🇦🇫.
Soviet had lost so far 350-400 aircraft and $12B #ghostwars

"Agency was spending just enough weaponry to ensure tht many Afghan rebels died violently in battle,but not enough to help them win.They'r going to fight to last even if they hv to fight with stones.But we'll be damned by history if we let them fight with stones." Charlie Wilson.

"For fewer people&weapons r needed to put a Govt.on defensive than r needed to protect it.Afghan Mujahdin hv made it as dangerous for a Russian soldier or Soviet Convoy to stray off main road as it was for German in France in1944."
Bill Casey Director CIA briefd Presidnt Reagen.

Both Casey & Zia have developed a presentation about Soviet Expansionism.
Zia believed that Moscow invaded Afghanistan in order to push toward Middle East's oil, warm water ports & energy resources.
Casey briefed about Soviet geopolitical ambitions on a global scale.
#ghostwars

Casey raised subject of"pushing Afghan jihad to Soviet Union itself."
CIA proposd to send in books about Soviet atrocities in region.
ISI Afghan bureau select small teams of Mujahdin who would be willing to mount violent attacks inside Soviet Union.They began operations in 1995.

Ahmed Shah Massoud was a full fledgd member of MuslimYouthOrganization. When Mohammed Daoud(King of Afghanistan 1973) down on Islamist, Massoud, Gulbudin Hekmatyar & other Organisation's members fled to Pakistan.
Massoud returned to Panjshir in 1978 &declard Jihad against Soviet.

Massoud Capturd Aliabad Mountain, main supply route b/w USSR&Kabul for food,uniform,weapons.
Massoud's fighters raided Soviet convoy, took away whatever they had pilfered from Soviets.
"Red army soldiers were dying at hands of their weapons by Mujahdin clothd in Red Army uniform"

After 80% of Punjshir's buildings had been destoryd by Soviet,Massoud decided to cut a deal.
In 1983 he announcd unprecedentd truce under terms tht if He allowd Afghan army to operate base at southern end of valley.
His deal was blow to Mujahdin and it helpd his rival Hekmatyar.

Gulbudin Hekmatyar emerged as most powerful ISI based Mujahdin clients.
By giving him weapons u were sure tht weapons will not be sold in Pakistan bcz he was strict to extent of being ruthless.Brigadier Yusuf recalld.
There was only one thing holdng his team&tht was Soviet Union.

Truce began to unravel in 1984 when Massoud's guerrillas picked off a car tht had been intended as gift from Soviet to Afghan defense minister.
In reply Soviet launchd a 20k soldiers assault on Panjshir valley alongwith elite Spetsanz with Mi-24D Hind Attack helicoptrs
#ghostwars

With the items on wish list Massoud thought he could force Soviets back to negotiating table within six months. Without it the war could last 40 years.

Massoud didn't know but in Washington some of his American admirers had reached similar conclusions.
#ghostwars

If we're afraid to hit terrorists bcz somebody's going to yell 'assassination', it will never stop.
"The terrorist will own the world." Bill Casey.
#ghostwars authored by Steve Coll.

Brigadier M Yousaf emphasized attacks on Soviet command targets in Kabul.He saw the capital as a center of gravity for Soviets.If the city became a secure sanctuary,Soviet generals might never leave.
Mujahdin commandos later assassinated 7 Soviet military officers in single year.

Milton Bearden replaced William Piekney as CIA station chief in Islamabad in July 1986.
Bill Casey told him "I want u to go out there & win."
Bill Casey was the best & worst director the CIA had ever known,Bearden thought.
#ghostwars

The incoming cable from Langley was triumphant;
"A Satellite imagery confirms three kills at Jalalabad as reported.Please pass our congratulations for a job well done."
A military engineer Ghaffar had destroyed 3 helicopters with their Russian crews.
#ghostwars

OsamabinLaden moved his household from KSA to Peshawar in 1986.
Bearden felt tht bin Laden actually did some very good things&was not regarded as someone who was antiAmerican.
Bin Laden wanted Jaji complex to hv his own Arab volunteers.He opened his 1st training facility in 1986.

The Anti-Soviet Jihad was coming to an end in1986.
"The strategic goal is to finish war in 1 or max 2 years&withdraw the troops.We hv set a clear goal:Help speed up the process so we hv a friendly neutral country&get out of there."Mikhail Gorbachev told his colleagues.
#ghostwars

On 17April1987, Soviet helicopters&bomber jets hit Bin Laden's compound at Jaji.
Bin Laden&his 50 arab volunteers faced 500 Russian troops including elite Spetsanz. Battle lasted for about a week&marked the birth of Osama bin Laden as warrior&military leader among Arab Jihadists.

"If we were begin to withdraw troops while US aid continued,it would lead to a bloody war"Gorbachev told VP George Bush.
Bush replied"We'r not in favour of installng proAmerican regime in🇦🇫.This isn't US policy"
Let the🇵🇰 sought out regional politics.This was their neighbourhood.

General ZiaulHaq said openly that Pakistan's Army&intelligence service would work to install a friendly Govt in Kabul,one that would protect Pakistan's interests in its rivalry with India.We hv earned the right to have in Kabul a power which is very friendly toward us.
#ghostwars

On April 14,1988, the Geneva Accords ratified by treaty the formal terms of Soviet withdrawal. The 1st Soviet troops rolled out of Jalalabad a month later.
Alongwith ISI Brigadiere & Bearden spent hours to persuade rebel commanders not to slaughter Soviets during their withdrawl.

On Aug 17,1988 President Zia's plane had gone down near Bahawalpur with Zia, General Akhtar& Arnold Ralph.
Pakistanis feared that it might be delibrate attack aimed at country's very existence.
"Don't mess with Pakistan, or the US is going to be on ur ass" said Oakley.
#ghostwars

On 15 Feb, the day appointed by Geneva Accords for departure of last Soviets, at CIA headquarters in Langley William Webster,CIA Director, hosted a Champagne party.
At US embassy Islamabad, too, they threw a celebration. Bearden sent a cable to Langley: "WE WON."
#ghostwars

On 6March Benazir called a meeting of InterAgency Afghan cell to discuss Hamid Gul's proposal to attack Jalalabad. Hamid Gul promised that Jalalabad would fall within a week.
A week passed, then two, then three but Jalabad didn't fall.
#ghostwars

Hekmatyar's followers began to express extreme views about who was kaffir & who should therefore be target of Jihad now that Soviets had left Afghanistan.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was one such enemy.
Benazir Bhutto was declared as kaffir.
#ghostwars