To a large extent the rashid and schmidt books cover similar ground and. I can tell you that afghanistan was as much a victim of terrorism as was. On the morning of september 11, 2001, the entire world was introduced to al qaeda and its enigmatic leader, osama bin laden. Asked again by hasan if he believed the 911 attacks were the responsibility of alqaeda in afghanistan, the former president responded. Al qaeda expands its presence in afghanistan institute. A diminished but resilient al qaeda, whose 911 attacks drew america into its longest war, is attempting a comeback in afghanistans mountainous east even as u. Michael chandler of britain, who led the expert group which prepared the report for the u. The enduring conflict between america and al qaeda. An assessment a thesis submitted to the faculty of the school of continuing studies and of the graduate school of arts and sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in liberal studies by keith boyea, b. Al qaeda also retains a small but possibly growing presence in afghanistan. A selection of books related to the wars in iraq and afghanistan. Best iraq and afghanistan war books some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. But taliban leaders have said they would break ties with the group in exchange for the. It is widely assumed that al qaedas presence in south asia does not, in fact, pose an enduring threat to american interests.
The united states also began providing financial aid and other assistance to the northern alliance and other opposition groups. Government sources the terrorist threat to the us homeland, national intelligence estimate, july 2007 alqaida is and will r. Al qaeda has expanded its presence in afghanistan since 2014 in collaboration with the taliban. Why al qaedas still a threat in afghanistan cbs news. Us strategy for pakistan and afghanistan council on foreign. Alqaeda returns to afghanistan amid fears of new jihadist alliance with isis and taliban american officials are no longer so dismissive of reports about al. Pratiek sparsh samantara surveys some of the best contemporary literary fiction and nonfiction to come out of afghanistan, from both afghan and international authors, and looks at how these books interpret the culture, society and history of this unsettled landscape. Al qaeda afghanistan al qaeda in afghanistan since 2001. It also said the islamic state remains much stronger than al qaeda. Peter bergen was able to do what i have never been able to do, which was to actually interview bin laden. Alqaeda, isis, afghanistan and an opportunity for the.
I neither believe nor disbelieve something that i dont know about. In addition, both before and after the death of abu musab alzarqawi the former leader of alqaeda in iraq, the umbrella organization to which alqaeda in iraq belongs, the mujahideen shura council, has a regular presence on the web. Alqaeda returns to afghanistan amid fears of new jihadist. A means toward that end was destroying the taliban government. Al qaeda has expanded its presence in afghanistan, taking advantage of the sinking security situation to resurface in the country it. List of books about alqaeda ahmed, nafeez mosaddeq 2005. Meaning it is, for now, content to fly strategically below the radar as it quietly supports the taliban. Afghanistans top defense official has warned that al qaeda the reason the united states first invaded afghanistan is very active and a big threat in the country. Alqaeda is alive and well in afghanistan and pakistan. Chairman poe, ranking member sherman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the enduring threat posed by al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan.
Even fewer of those are hunting al qaeda, whose presence in the country has dwindled after years of drone strikes. Also known as al qaeda central, the core is made up of aq leader ayman al zawahiri and his deputies, an advisory council of about ten individuals, and members of various aq committees such as military operations and finance. A direct invasion of afghanistan was therefore not an option. The best books on alqaeda five books expert recommendations. With the diffusion of al qaedas ideology around the globe, especially after 911, the threat it poses has moved beyond the. Troops and their families, edited by andrew carroll. A resilient alqaeda in afghanistan and pakistan middle east. Lets take a look at your final book, peter bergensthe longest war. Al qaeda still resilient, closely works with pakistani let, afghani haqqani network. Alqaeda in afghanistan remain dependent on the taliban for a safe haven and mobility, while the taliban have access to alqaedas network of training camps. While al qaeda has been severely degraded, it has lost none of its zeal to strike western countries and undermine governments in asia, the middle east, and africa. Understanding war in afghanistan ndu press national defense. Al qaeda affiliates praise al shabaab attack on american.
But the organization that changed the face of terrorism forever and unleashed a whirlwind of counterterrorism activity and two major wars had been on the scene long before that eventful morning. Stenersen makes in particular extensive use of arabic sources, many of which have become available in recent years, and comes to a more sophisticated understanding of the organisations aims and strategy. This is the most comprehensive, carefully researched and detailed account of al qaida in afghanistan until 2001. As a result, alqaeda today maintains a presence in different pockets of afghanistan, mainly in konar, helmand, badakhshan, paktika, zabul and. For the united states, afghanistan has at present limited direct interest. Thats a policy comfortable with a message that there is no longer a significant presence of al qaeda in afghanistan. While aqis has reportedly attempted to solidify its presence in afghanistan by embedding fighters in the taliban, its operations have mostly been elsewhere. Map of al qaeda presence in afghanistan al qaeda presence in afghanistan, which reported in the last 2 years in various researches. According to zahid hussain, one of pakistans most noted security specialists, drone strikes have killed many of its leaders, but have had little effect on the groups operations. Washingtons attempts to drum up public support for operation enduring freedom confuse more than they convince. Al qaeda and islamic state affiliates in afghanistan.
Alqaeda used afghanistan as a base from which to plan the sept. Al qaeda still resilient, closely works with pakistani let. In afghanistan alone, the likes of the taliban and alqaeda have killed 2,296 u. Al qaeda, the islamic state, and the global jihadist movement. Its a mystery if remaining remnants of the group that perpetrated the 911 attacks are still even plotting overseas attacks. A reading list of modern war stories the new york times. Conversely, although the us is not running for the exit, it is about to withdraw 80% of its troops in the next 2 years. The us government and the military has downplayed al qaedas presence for more than six years, despite evidence that al qaeda has remained entrenched in afghanistan some 15 years after the 911 attacks, the long war journal noted saturday nicholson indicated alqaeda is increasingly taking advantage of the security vacuum in afghanistan in remote parts of the country. Skeptics who argue for a reduced american presence in afghanistan are. After 11 years of war, al qaeda in afghanistan is smaller. According to american military officials on the ground, al qaeda is playing the long game. Al qaeda afghanistan nautilus institute for security. An article in yesterdays washington post noted that al qaeda has an increasingly minor presence and role in afghanistan, becoming almost an afterthought in the conflict there though this isnt really new information, the article makes what i thought to be an interesting suggestion, noting that al qaedas relatively small role in the afghanistan conflict might be in at least some. Although bin laden and his associates have been scattered, arrested and killed, the organization has survived and the ideology is intact.
A challenged pakistan and its afghan policies jstor. Pdf from jihad to alqaeda to islamic state researchgate. Alqaedas presence in pakistan, where the bulk of the groups core leadership and many of its fighters fled from afghanistan in 2001, is even stronger. Alqaeda began as a logistical network to support muslims fighting against the soviet union during the afghan war. Groups such as the alnusra front and the islamic state of iraq and the levant have recruited many foreign mujahideen to train and fight in what has gradually become a highly sectarian war. This was not because the taliban itself represented a direct threat to the united states but because al qaedas presence in afghanistan did. Before the syrian civil war, alqaedas presence in syria was negligible, but its growth thereafter was rapid. A resilient alqaeda in afghanistan and pakistan mei policy focus 201618 middle east institute policy focus series august 2016 although alqaeda has suffered severe blows in recent years, it has managed to remain entrenched in both afghanistan and pakistan and is poised to strengthen its position and. He is a firstclass journalist who probably knows more about alqaeda than anyone else. The bombings are the work of alqaeda successor groups, showing that while the groups organisational structure may have been damaged by the war. Shortly after the soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979, bin laden, who viewed the invasion as an act of aggression against islam, began. Indian attack and deny india a presence in afghanistan with which it could mil. The united states wanted to act quickly and decisively in order to disrupt al qaeda. While senior al qaeda figures reportedly remain based in pakistan, the network includes a number of affiliates across the middle east and africa including al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap, al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim, and al shabaab.
By now there are already dozens of books a few of them. Al qaeda core the top echelon or core of aq leadership remains a primary target of the u. The talibanalqaeda coalition is now being challenged by increasingly strong. It is a view shared, incidentally, by a senior member of the obama administration, the national security adviser, general james jones, who told cnn that the alqaida presence in afghanistan is. The taliban, al qaeda, the global drug trade, and afghanistan as a dominant opium source frank shanty it has been claimed that during the past twentyfive years the opium trade has provided a vast source of funding to the afghan mujahideen, the taliban, and possibly al qaeda. The taliban and al qaeda maintain, and will sustain, an enduring and intimate relationship that invalidates the premise of u. The alqaeda mole who infiltrated the cia, joby warrick untangles the complicated web of cia operations in pakistan and tells the story of how humam albilawi mounted the deadliest attack against the cia since 911. Only a small portion of the 15,000 american troops in afghanistan are involved in the counterterrorism mission that the military calls its core objective there. President obama made only a vague reference to the size of the al qaeda presence in his speech at west point, when he said, al qaeda has not reemerged in afghanistan in. Al qaeda claims that the fight in afghanistan bankrupted the soviet union in the 1980s and led to its collapse, and that the united states too is being driven to the. A thesis submitted to the faculty of the school of continuing studies and of the graduate school of arts and sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in liberal studies.
How many al qaeda fighters are in afghanistan again. List of books and articles about afghan history online. In al qaeda, the islamic state, and the global jihadist movement. Spinning the alqaeda threat in afghanistan the national. What else can we conclude about the presence of small al qaeda bases existing in afghanistan.
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