AUDIOBOOK
About
The "first" Afghan War, the CIA's war in response to 9/11, was approved by President Bush and directed by the author, Robert Grenier, the CIA station chief in Islamabad. Forging separate alliances with warlords, Taliban dissidents, and Pakistani intelligence, Grenier defeated the Taliban and put Hamid Karzai in power in eighty-eight days. Later, as head of CIA counterterrorism, he watches as bureaucratic dysfunction in the CIA, Pentagon, and the White House lead to failure in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In his gripping narrative we meet General Tommy Franks, who bridles at CIA control of "his" war; General "Jafar Amin," a gruff Pakistani intelligence officer who saves Grenier from committing career suicide; Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's brilliant ambassador to the US, who tries to warn her government of the al-Qaeda threat; "Mark," the CIA operator who guides Gul Agha Shirzai to bloody victory over the Taliban; General Kayani, a cautious man who will become the most powerful man in Pakistan, struggling with Grenier's demands while trying to protect his country; and Hamid Karzai, the puzzling anti-Taliban insurgent, a man of courage, petulance, and vacillating moods.
Grenier's enemies out in front prove only slightly more lethal than the ones behind his own lines. This first war is won despite Washington bureaucrats who divert resources, deny military support, and try to undermine the only Afghan allies capable of winning.
Later, as Grenier directed the CIA's role in the Iraq War, he watched the initial victory squandered. His last command was of CIA's Counterterrorism Center, as Bush-era terrorism policies were being repudiated, as the Taliban reemerged in Afghanistan, and as Pakistan descended into fratricidal violence.
"A fascinating account of our early post-9/11 days
in Afghanistan by one of the CIA's key figures in the drama. A sobering, but
must-read primer for the complexities of these tumultuous times."
"88 Days to
Kandahar drips with tension and insight. Bob Grenier is the role model for
members of the National Clandestine Service. He captures the highs and lows of
the spy business with unwavering accuracy. His portrayal of events immediately
preceding and following 9/11 is illuminating and gritty. Members of the CIA
station in Islamabad faced numerous enemies-Al Qaida, the Taliban, extremists
in Pakistan, and our own bureaucracy with its jealousies and rivalries."
"Most often history comes to us through a distant
and detached analyst who tries to make sense of an event they did not
experience. Here Bob Grenier, the ultimate insider, opens a window of insight
into a pivotal time in our own historical consciousness. It is a gripping
narrative."
"Offers unparalleled insight into the American
campaign in Afghanistan with a frank, even-handed assessment of the
initial military effort to topple the Taliban…
His conclusions-many of which run counter to conventional wisdom-are
logical and amply demonstrated."
"If you want an insider's account of the first
American-Afghan War, you can't do better than this…Important reading to
understand where we are today, with lots of keen portraits included."
"Former CIA officer
Grenier delivers an action-packed tale, rich in implication, of the post-9/11
race to unseat the Taliban and rout al-Qaeda in Afghanistan…Apart from his taut, well-written account of action on the
ground, its heroes mostly gnarly Special Forces troops and spooks, CIA watchers
will be fascinated by Grenier's look at the twisted, surprisingly nasty
politics within the intelligence community in the age of Bush/Cheney and their
appointees, squabbling that makes Afghanistan look tame. A catalog of occasional
victories and constant missteps that is eye-opening, illuminating, and
maddening."
"After more than a decade, the war in Afghanistan is
fizzling to an ignominious end, leaving tens of thousands of dead and wounded,
a tri
In his gripping narrative we meet General Tommy Franks, who bridles at CIA control of "his" war; General "Jafar Amin," a gruff Pakistani intelligence officer who saves Grenier from committing career suicide; Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's brilliant ambassador to the US, who tries to warn her government of the al-Qaeda threat; "Mark," the CIA operator who guides Gul Agha Shirzai to bloody victory over the Taliban; General Kayani, a cautious man who will become the most powerful man in Pakistan, struggling with Grenier's demands while trying to protect his country; and Hamid Karzai, the puzzling anti-Taliban insurgent, a man of courage, petulance, and vacillating moods.
Grenier's enemies out in front prove only slightly more lethal than the ones behind his own lines. This first war is won despite Washington bureaucrats who divert resources, deny military support, and try to undermine the only Afghan allies capable of winning.
Later, as Grenier directed the CIA's role in the Iraq War, he watched the initial victory squandered. His last command was of CIA's Counterterrorism Center, as Bush-era terrorism policies were being repudiated, as the Taliban reemerged in Afghanistan, and as Pakistan descended into fratricidal violence.
"A fascinating account of our early post-9/11 days
in Afghanistan by one of the CIA's key figures in the drama. A sobering, but
must-read primer for the complexities of these tumultuous times."
"88 Days to
Kandahar drips with tension and insight. Bob Grenier is the role model for
members of the National Clandestine Service. He captures the highs and lows of
the spy business with unwavering accuracy. His portrayal of events immediately
preceding and following 9/11 is illuminating and gritty. Members of the CIA
station in Islamabad faced numerous enemies-Al Qaida, the Taliban, extremists
in Pakistan, and our own bureaucracy with its jealousies and rivalries."
"Most often history comes to us through a distant
and detached analyst who tries to make sense of an event they did not
experience. Here Bob Grenier, the ultimate insider, opens a window of insight
into a pivotal time in our own historical consciousness. It is a gripping
narrative."
"Offers unparalleled insight into the American
campaign in Afghanistan with a frank, even-handed assessment of the
initial military effort to topple the Taliban…
His conclusions-many of which run counter to conventional wisdom-are
logical and amply demonstrated."
"If you want an insider's account of the first
American-Afghan War, you can't do better than this…Important reading to
understand where we are today, with lots of keen portraits included."
"Former CIA officer
Grenier delivers an action-packed tale, rich in implication, of the post-9/11
race to unseat the Taliban and rout al-Qaeda in Afghanistan…Apart from his taut, well-written account of action on the
ground, its heroes mostly gnarly Special Forces troops and spooks, CIA watchers
will be fascinated by Grenier's look at the twisted, surprisingly nasty
politics within the intelligence community in the age of Bush/Cheney and their
appointees, squabbling that makes Afghanistan look tame. A catalog of occasional
victories and constant missteps that is eye-opening, illuminating, and
maddening."
"After more than a decade, the war in Afghanistan is
fizzling to an ignominious end, leaving tens of thousands of dead and wounded,
a tri