Description
Haus Publishing Afghan Napoleon - The Life of Ahmad Shah Massoud by Sandy Gall
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._x000D_ _x000D_
Contents_x000D_
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Introduction ix_x000D_
Rory Stewart_x000D_
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Author's Note xvi_x000D_
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Translator's Note xix_x000D_
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Prologue 1_x000D_
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1. The British 'Find' Massoud 3_x000D_
2. Were We Nearly Shot?: Meeting Massoud 9_x000D_
3. The Boy Who Loved Playing Soldiers 19_x000D_
4. The Coup that Failed: Exile in Pakistan 26_x000D_
5. Bombed by the Russians in the Panjsher 34_x000D_
6. The Russians Propose a Ceasefire 51_x000D_
7. Massoud Deals with the Russians 61_x000D_
8. Marriage and War 85_x000D_
9. Defeat and Failure: 'Am I Afraid of Death?' 90_x000D_
10. The Russian Perspective 112_x000D_
11. A Winter Offensive 117_x000D_
12. Massoud Takes Farkhar 138_x000D_
13. Expanding into the North 149_x000D_
14. The Russians Prepare to Withdraw 162_x000D_
15. Massoud Captures Kabul 179_x000D_
16. Under Siege: Massoud in Kabul 189_x000D_
17. Tea and Rockets with the Taliban 211_x000D_
18. Mortal Enemies 225_x000D_
19. Massoud Retreats from Kabul 228_x000D_
20. A Low Ebb 234_x000D_
21. 'My Father was Incorruptible' 261_x000D_
22. Massoud Visits Europe 269_x000D_
23. How They Killed Massoud 274_x000D_
24. The Eve of Assassination 290_x000D_
25. A Final Encounter 299_x000D_
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Epilogue 309_x000D_
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Acknowledgements 315_x000D_
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Select Bibliography 317_x000D_
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Notes 319_x000D_
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Index 341_x000D_