Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden,… Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, Plot Summary

Preview of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, Summary:

Ghost Wars, by Steve Coll, is one of the best historical narratives of the problems in Afghanistan and the rise of al-Qaeda and bin Laden. The book explains how the war against the Soviets began and how the CIA became involved during the Cold War years. The big concern of the United States at the time was oil since Central Asia is rich in oil. The Soviet move into Afghanistan was viewed as the first step toward the Middle East oil countries and this is one of the reasons they wanted to contain the Soviets.

The war began when factions in Afghanistan revolted against the Soviet authority. The CIA supplied the rebels with money and weapons, like Stinger missiles. They also funded training camps to train the people who came to help fight the Soviets. One of these was the billionaire Sheikh Osama bin...
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