An Intimate War

Book cover of An Intimate War: An Oral History of the Helmand Conflict, 1978-2012

Book description

'An Intimate War' tells the story of the last thirty-four years of conflict in Helmand Province, Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of the Helmandis. In the West, this period is often defined through different lenses -- the Soviet intervention, the civil war, the Taliban, and the post-2001 nation-building era.…

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Why read it?

1 author picked An Intimate War as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Phil Halton

Author

Martin was a British Army officer who learned to speak fluent Pashto, and spent long hours talking with and gaining the trust of various players in Helmand Province. Based on those discussions, he has put together the only oral history of the conflict there available in any language. By starting in 1978, he clearly shows that the fighting thirty years later had much deeper roots, and that more often than not, the causes of conflict were not apparent to Western eyes.

From Phil's list on the War in Afghanistan.