Ghost Wars
The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
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Narrated by:
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Malcolm Hillgartner
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Written by:
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Steve Coll
About this listen
Pulitzer Prize, General Nonfiction, 2005
Lionel Gelber Prize
New York Times Notable Book
The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan.
With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
©2011 Steve Coll (P)2011 PenguinYou may also enjoy...
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Directorate S
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Resuming the narrative of his Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars, best-selling author Steve Coll tells for the first time the epic and enthralling story of America's intelligence, military, and diplomatic efforts to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 9/11.
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Great but I wish there was supplementary material
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-12-15
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Black Flags
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In a thrilling dramatic narrative, awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, Joby Warrick traces how the strain of militant Islam behind ISIS first arose in a remote Jordanian prison and spread with the unwitting aid of two American presidents.
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The Afghanistan Papers
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Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: Defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off-course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives.
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Well done curated information
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Gray Work
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Story
In this unprecedented audiobook, a paramilitary contractor with more than two decades of experience gives us a firsthand look into the secret lives of America's private warriors and their highly covert work around the world. Author Jamie Smith has planned and executed hundreds of missions on behalf of government agencies and private industry in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots - and lived to tell the tale.
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From Afghanistan and Pakistan to Yemen, Somalia, and beyond, Scahill speaks to the CIA agents, mercenaries, and elite Special Operations Forces operators who populate the dark side of American war-fighting. He goes deep into al Qaeda-held territory in Yemen and walks the streets of Mogadishu with CIA-backed warlords. We also meet the survivors of US night raids and drone strikes - including families of US citizens targeted for assassination by their own government - who reveal the human consequences of the dirty wars the United States struggles to keep hidden.
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A very informative record
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First In
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While America held its breath in the days immediately following 9/11, a small but determined group of CIA agents covertly began to change history. This is the riveting first-person account of the treacherous top-secret mission inside Afghanistan to set the stage for the defeat of the Taliban and launch the war on terror. As thrilling as any novel, First In is a uniquely intimate look at a mission that began the US retaliation against terrorism - and reclaimed the country of Afghanistan for its people.
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Directorate S
- The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan
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Overall
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Great but I wish there was supplementary material
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Black Flags
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- Unabridged
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Performance
-
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In a thrilling dramatic narrative, awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, Joby Warrick traces how the strain of militant Islam behind ISIS first arose in a remote Jordanian prison and spread with the unwitting aid of two American presidents.
-
-
Selective Narratives and Hidden Biases
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Written by: Joby Warrick
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The Afghanistan Papers
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- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: Defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off-course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives.
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-
Well done curated information
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Story
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Dirty Wars
- The World Is a Battlefield
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- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From Afghanistan and Pakistan to Yemen, Somalia, and beyond, Scahill speaks to the CIA agents, mercenaries, and elite Special Operations Forces operators who populate the dark side of American war-fighting. He goes deep into al Qaeda-held territory in Yemen and walks the streets of Mogadishu with CIA-backed warlords. We also meet the survivors of US night raids and drone strikes - including families of US citizens targeted for assassination by their own government - who reveal the human consequences of the dirty wars the United States struggles to keep hidden.
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-
A very informative record
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-
First In
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- Written by: Gary C. Schroen
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While America held its breath in the days immediately following 9/11, a small but determined group of CIA agents covertly began to change history. This is the riveting first-person account of the treacherous top-secret mission inside Afghanistan to set the stage for the defeat of the Taliban and launch the war on terror. As thrilling as any novel, First In is a uniquely intimate look at a mission that began the US retaliation against terrorism - and reclaimed the country of Afghanistan for its people.
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What the critics say
“Certainly the finest historical narrative so far on the origins of al Qaeda in the post-Soviet rubble of Afghanistan . . . Ghost Wars provides fresh details and helps explain the motivations behind many crucial decisions.”—The New York Times Book Review
“The CIA itself would be hard put to beat his grasp of global events . . . Deeply satisfying.”—The New York Review of Books
“A well written, authoritative, high-altitude drama with few heroes, many villains, bags of cash, and a tragic ending—one that may not have been inevitable.”—The Washington Post
What listeners say about Ghost Wars
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Ansel
- 2021-10-11
fascinating stuff
while its long and complicated, i never had trouble getting into it. its hard for me tell, but it seemed unbiased and objective, and presented the events clearly but with enough color that it wasnt dry. the only reason i gave four stars is that because a story with this scope and breadth of characters, if one is really to get a firm grasp, and the effort would be well spent, a list of the men and women involved and a brief description of their role and the dates of their involvement is absolutely necessary. that being said, the narrator did a great job of consistently pronouncing, or mispronouncing i cant tell, Arabic Afghani Pakistani Uzbek etc names throughout the book so there was no added confusion. what an unlucky country!
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- william gary irwin
- 2020-10-25
Honest and informative
Author had no agenda, just gave the facts which is rare these days, and adds value to the book.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-11-06
Fascinating
Very informative and detailed description of everything that happened behind the scenes. Well read by author
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- A
- 2022-02-19
great book for specific audience
this book is really good if you are interested in the story of politics and intelligence leading up to 9/11. due to the level of detail it might not be best suited for a general audience, though. that said of the books I've read on 9/11 this is def at the top. it is really interesting how Coll tells the story without talking about the actual events of the day. also the focus on ending it with Massoud's death is sad but the perfect way to finish this part of the story.
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- Fahd Baba
- 2022-11-14
Lose the accent
Great story. But the narrator does accents when quoting ethnic people. The accent is super bad and it’s distracting more than anything.
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