The âfirstâ Afghan War, a CIA war in response to 9/11, was directed by the CIA Station Chief in Islamabad. It put Hamid Karzai in power in 88 days. âIf you want an insiderâs account of the first American-Afghan War, you canât do better than thisâŠImportant reading to understand where we are todayâ (Library Journal).
From his preparation of the original, post-9/11 war plan, approved by President Bush, through to âfinalâ fleeting victory, Robert Grenier relates the tale of the âsouthern campaign,â which drove al-Qaâida and the Taliban from Kandahar, its capital, in an astonishing eighty-eight days.
âWith his ringside seat as the senior agency official stationed closest to Afghanistan, Grenier is able to describe meeting by meeting, sometimes phone call after phone call, how events unfoldedâ (The New York Times). In his gripping account, we meet: General Tommy Franks, who bridles at CIA control of âhisâ war; General âJafar Amin,â a gruff Pakistani intelligence officer who saves Grenier from committing career suicide; Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistanâs brilliant ambassador to the US, who tries to warn her government of the al-Qaâida threat; and Hamid Karzai, the puzzling anti-Taliban insurgent, a man with elements of greatness, petulance, and moods.
With suspense and insight, Grenier details his very personal struggles and triumphs. 88 Days to Kandahar is âan action-packed tale, rich in implication, of the post-9/11 race to unseat the Taliban and rout al-Qaida in Afghanistanâ (Kirkus Reviews).