This book is about the air war in Afghanistan, and how a ragtag guerrilla army of Afghan irregulars, who were considered by some as not being good enough to operate Stingers effectively, managed to counter the Soviet/Afghan air power. This book also reveals the intrigues and problems that were encountered in operating efficiently in such environments. It also shows a glimpse of working of other intelligence agencies like the CIA and MI-6, their behaviour, manners, and also the intrigues and professional jealousies that go along with such operations. Though the author admits that this is not a historical narration, but he has claimed to have taken all care in narrating only the actual facts. He himself has been a witness to many events that happened during his tenure. This book will be of great interest to military analysts and researchers, as it will be of a lot of interest to common readers also, and to those who are interested in the truth and want to know how and why things happened that way. This book is about normal average persons who remain mostly unknown and unrecognised but are the ones who actually shape the history. These persons are the ones who get no credit if things turn out good but get a lot of blame if it does not.

This book is about the air war in Afghanistan, and how a ragtag guerrilla army of Afghan irregulars, who were considered by some as not being good enough to operate Stingers effectively, managed to counter the Soviet/Afghan air power. This book also reveals the intrigues and problems that were encountered in operating efficiently in such environments. It also shows a glimpse of working of other intelligence agencies like the CIA and MI-6, their behaviour, manners, and also the intrigues and professional jealousies that go along with such operations. Though the author admits that this is not a historical narration, but he has claimed to have taken all care in narrating only the actual facts. He himself has been a witness to many events that happened during his tenure. This book will be of great interest to military analysts and researchers, as it will be of a lot of interest to common readers also, and to those who are interested in the truth and want to know how and why things happened that way. This book is about normal average persons who remain mostly unknown and unrecognised but are the ones who actually shape the history. These persons are the ones who get no credit if things turn out good but get a lot of blame if it does not.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in support of a Marxist-Leninist government, and the subsequent nine-year conflict with the indigenous Afghan Mujahedeen was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Cold War. Key details of the circumstances surrounding the invasion and its ultimate conclusion only months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 have long remained unclear; it is a confidential narrative of clandestine correspondence, covert operations and failed intelligence. The Secret War in Afghanistan undertakes a full analysis of recently declassified intelligence archives in order to asses Anglo-American secret intelligence and diplomacy relating to the invasion of Afghanistan and unveil the Cold War realities behind the rhetoric. Rooted at every turn in close examination of the primary evidence, it outlines the secret operations of the CIA, MI6 and the KGB, and the full extent of the aid and intelligence from the West which armed and trained the Afghan fighters. Drawing from US, UK and Russian archives, Panagiotis Dimitrakis analyses the Chinese arms deals with the CIA, the multiple recorded intelligence failures of KGB intelligence and secret letters from the office of Margaret Thatcher to Jimmy Carter. In so doing, this study brings a new scholarly perspective to some of the most controversial events of Cold War history. Dimitrakis also outlines the full extent of China's involvement in arming the Mujahedeen, which led to the PRC effectively fighting the Soviet Union by proxy. This will be essential reading for scholars and students of the Cold War, American History and the Modern Middle East.

Naylor argues that bin Laden's role in various terrorist activities has been grossly exaggerated and that the idea of al-Qa?idah as a well-financed, centrally directed movement is a fable akin to misconceptions about the Mafia. Satanic Purses makes clear that the myths surrounding the war on terror, especially the alleged existence of hordes of Islamic terror dollars, have led Western countries, particularly the US, to policies that create death and disorder abroad and the loss of due process and privacy at home.

“It covers, chapter by chapter the anti-air battle in wars from Yom Kippur (1973) onwards . . . a readable, well researched and well-presented book.” —Army Rumour Service (ARRSE) Anti-aircraft artillery truly came into prominence during the Second World War, shooting down more aircraft than any other weapon and seriously affecting the conduct of air operations. Development continued into the Cold War, resulting in the extensive introduction of surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs. Though the first combat success of such weapons was during the Vietnam War, when a Soviet-designed S-75 Dvina missile shot down a USAF F-4C Phantom on 24 July 1965, it was the Yom Kippur War of 1973 which brought surface-to-air missiles to the center stage. During this short but bitter conflict, Egyptian and Syrian air defenses shot down nearly fifty Israeli aircraft in the first three days alone—almost a fourth of Israel’s entire combat aircraft fleet. In all, Israel lost 104 aircraft during the war and, for the first time, more aircraft were lost to SAMs than any other cause. The age of surface-to-air missiles had dawned. In this unique examination, the author details the development of not just surface-to-air missiles, but all anti-aircraft artillery, since 1972. The part that such equipment played in all of the major conflicts since then is explored, including the Soviet Afghan War, the Falklands War, in which Rapier was deployed, the conflict in Lebanon, Kosovo and Bosnia, the Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 1993. The investigation is brought right up to date by a study of the weapons, tactics and engagements seen in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

This book is the first comprehensive study of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI). The rise of Pakistan-backed religious extremist groups in Afghanistan, India, and Central Asia has focused international attention on Pakistan’s premier intelligence organization and covert action advocate, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate or ISI. While ISI is regarded as one of the most powerful government agencies in Pakistan today, surprisingly little has been written about it from an academic perspective. This book addresses critical gaps in our understanding of this agency, including its domestic security mission, covert backing of the Afghan Taliban, and its links to al-Qa’ida. Using primary source materials, including declassified intelligence and diplomatic reporting, press reports and memoirs, this book explores how ISI was transformed from a small, negligible counter intelligence outfit of the late-1940s into the national security behemoth of today with extensive responsibilities in domestic security, political interference and covert action. This study concludes that reforming or even eliminating ISI will be fundamental if Pakistan is to successfully transition from an army-run, national security state to a stable, democratic society that enjoys peaceful relations with its neighbours. This book will be of interest to students of intelligence studies, South Asian politics, foreign policy and international security in general.