The Arabs at War in Afghanistan

by Mustafa Hamid, Leah Farrall

Overview

A former senior mujahidin figure and an ex-counter-terrorism analyst cooperating to write a book on the history and legacy of Arab-Afghan fighters in Afghanistan is a remarkable and improbable undertaking. Yet this is what Mustafa Hamid, aka Abu Walid al-Masri, and Leah Farrall have achieved with the publication of their ground-breaking work. The result of thousands of hours of discussions over several years, The Arabs at War in Afghanistan offers significant new insights into the history of many of today's militant Salafi groups and movements. By revealing the real origins of the Taliban and al-Qaeda and the jostling among the various jihadi groups, this account not only challenges conventional wisdom, but also raises uncomfortable questions as to how events from this important period have been so badly misconstrued.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849045940
Publisher:	Hurst
Publication date:	04/16/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Mustafa Hamid was among the first Arabs to join the jihad against the Soviets, and rose to become an influential figure, counting leading Afghan commanders and, later, senior Taliban and al-Qaeda figures among his friends. He was eyewitness to and a participant in events that shaped not only Afghanistan's history, but also the destiny of the Arab volunteers who joined in its liberation. After fleeing Afghanistan after 9/11 he spent close to a decade detained in Iran and has now returned to his native Egypt. Leah Farrall was formerly a senior counterterrorism analyst with the Australian Federal Police, before turning to academia. Her research focuses on al-Qaeda and other jihadi groups, especially the myths surrounding their emergence, evolution and persistence.

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCING MUSTAFA HAMID On how we met From a rocky introduction, dialogue and, eventually, a book 2. THE ARAB-AFGHAN JIHAD A low-profile start The first Arab arrivals Lack of training for Arabs and Afghans Pakistan's role 3. EARLY TRAINING INITIATIVES FOR ARABS AND AFGHANS, AND THE BEGINNING OF THE TALIBAN MOVEMENT Mawlawi Nasrullah Mansur and the real beginnings of the Taliban movement Arrival of the Pakistani trainer Rashid Ahmad Mawlawi Mansur and Rashid's establishment of the Qais camp Rashid and Mawlawi Mansur's contribution to the Afghan and Arab jihad 4. TWO MEMOS AND AN IDEA THAT SPREAD: THE REAL ORIGINS OF MAKTAB AL-KHADAMAT The two memos: early suggestions for an Arab-led organisation Azzam, Sayyaf and bin Laden establish Maktab al-Khadamat Early Arab training and combat efforts The establishment of Sadda camp by Maktab al-Khadamat 5. THE JAJI BATTLES AND BIN LADEN'S ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AL-MASADAH CAMP How and why al-Masadah was established Opposition to bin Laden's establishment of al-Masadah The Jaji battle and its aftermath Exclusion of the Afghans On leadership and lessons: the dangers of the Jaji success 6. CONFUSED ORIGINS: AL-QAEDA'S POST-JAJI EMERGENCE AND THE ARAB-ADVISORY COUNCIL The how, when and why of al-Qaeda's formation More than a move: al-Qaeda's relocation to Khost and its turn away from Afghanistan Changing focus: Arab-Afghan efforts to gain bin Laden's support and al-Qaeda's resources Al-Qaeda and the Arab-Afghan Advisory Council The Arab-Afghan yard: disagreements, arguments and power plays Training 7. JALALABAD AND THE ARAB-AFGHAN TRAINING STORM An inglorious defeat Ikhwan Muslimin enters the fray The rise of the current of preparation and the Jalalabad School 8. THE AFGHAN CIVIL WAR, PAKISTAN'S CRACKDOWN AND ARAB-AFGHAN FLIGHT Short on options: bin Laden's journey from house arrest in Saudi Arabia to Pakistan The fall of the Kabul regime, Afghanistan's descent into civil war and Pakistan's crackdown on Arab-Afghans The forgotten men on the mountain: the Arab-Afghans who remained in Khost 9. THE ARAB-AFGHAN RETURN AND THE RISE OF THE TALIBAN An unhappy return to Afghanistan From Tora Bora a declaration of jihad The Taliban gain a controversial guest 10. STRONG HORSE, WEAK HORSE: ARAB-AFGHAN POLITICS AND AL-QAEDA'S REALPOLITIK Bin Laden's invitation to Khattab Bin Laden's outreach to the Pakistanis The politics among the Arab-Afghan groups about giving oaths to Mullah Omar The politics between Abu Musab al-Suri and al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda's support for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a counterweight to Abu Musab al-Suri 3 Khaldan closes operations in Jalalabad Al-Qaeda's training efforts in Kandahar and Kabul 11. UNITY EFFORTS AMONG ARAB-AFGHANS, THE LEAD UP TO 9/11 AND THE AMERICAN INVASION The Uzbek-al-Qaeda relationship and Mullah Omar's appointment of Uzbek military leader, Juma Bai, as amir of the foreign brigade in Kabul The al-Qaeda, Tanzim al-Jihad merger Disagreement about al-Qaeda's upcoming (9/11) attacks Al-Qaeda's pre-9/11 preparations for an American retaliation and an absence of warnings The American invasion 12. REFLECTIONS GLOSSARY CAMPS, ORGANISATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS LOCATIONS REFERENCES

Editorial Reviews

"An extraordinary, fascinating document. This combination of investigation, testimony and analysis will be essential reading for any one interested in the truth about the foreign involvement in the war against the Soviets and the early history of al-Qaeda." — Jason Burke, South Asia correspondent, The Guardian, and author of The 9/11 Wars

"Leah Farrell and Mustafa Hamid's creative dialogue provides a unique synthesis between an insider's knowledge and a critical expert's analysis of the origins of global jihadism. Each helps the other, and both help us, see this multi-faceted movement in new and sometimes contradictory ways." — Barnett Rubin, Senior Fellow and Director at the Center on International Cooperation, New York University

"This is an incredible book. Gripping, detailed, and important, it lays bare a story that is all too often shrouded in myth. Read it and understand the roots of al-Qaeda, ISIS, and many of the other crises ripping through the Middle East." — Gregory D. Johnsen author of The Last Refuge: Yemen, Al-Qaeda, and America's War in Arabia

"Essential reading for anyone who studies militancy in the Islamicate world. Hamid and Farrall offer a persuasive alternative history of the foundation of al-Qaeda and the internal politics of foreign fighters inside Afghanistan. This insider account is an important document that deserves to be studied for many years to come." — Alex Strick van Linschoten, co-author of An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban/Al-Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan, 1970-2010

"As Farrell's dialogue develops, she extracts intriguing nuggets of information from Hamid such as the participation of Afghan mujaheddin fighters in the first Gulf War; the early involvement of Pakistan's spy agency, the ISI; divisions within the mujaheddin; and the rise of the Taliban. ... As so many questions are being asked about what led to the rise of Islamic State, Farrell has done a commendable job in bringing us an alternative perspective on what historians will look back on as the defining period in crisis now enveloping the Arab world." — The Australian

From the Publisher