Book Review:Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan


Reader Rating: 8/10

Salaams! Just finished reading another good background book on Afg: Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2001, by Robert D. Kaplan. It was originally published in 1990 with the subtitle: "With the Mujahidin in Afghanistan," and this newer addition includes a long article that Kaplan wrote in 2000 for The Atlantic entitled "The Lawless Frontier."

Though somewhat dated, this book was a very worthwhile read. Kaplan was a print journalist who went to places during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan that few other journalists went. Kaplan continually comments on how little the western media covered the story of the Mujahidin and their David vs. Goliath struggle against the far superior forces and weapons of the Soviet occupiers and their Afghan Communist puppets.

Much of the book concentrates on the Mujahidin resistance groups based in Peshawar, and the attacks they carried out between the Pakistan-Afghan border and Kabul. A major focus is given to one Mujahidin commander in particular--Abdul Haq. He was a self-trained, fierce fighter who commanded growing cells of Afghan resistance members INSIDE the capital city of Kabul. Haq was a moderate pro-western commander with good Islamic connections, though not completely in sync with the major Islamic fundamentalist parties which were led by Hekmatyar and Khalis. He was killed in 2001 by Taliban forces while on a trip into eastern Afghanistan post-9/11 to recruit fighters in helping the US and Northern Alliance to defeat Taliban & Al-Qaeda.

The parts I enjoyed most were detailed descriptions of two of Kaplan's trips "inside:" one from Peshawar to the outskirts of Jalalabad, and the other from Quetta to the outskirts (and into) of Kandahar. His ample insights into the battle-hardened Afghan Pushtun Mujahidin and the things they as a matter of course had to put up with in the face of incredible odds was classic. Kaplan, on the other hand, was quite transparent about how he barely made it back to Peshawar astride a donkey with an incredible bout of dysentery and dehydration! As he states: "The ability to endure, year after harrowing year, such a monastic existence, as barren and as confined by self-denial as that of the most disciplined desert anchorites, constituted the most lethal weapon the Pathans had in their battle against the Soviets." And with the Stinger in his hands--this "bare knuckle" fighter became the most lethal weapon the U.S. had in its proxy fight with the U.S.S.R. and eventually helped to win the Cold War.

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Editorial Reviews
The New York Times, 1990
“Kaplan [is] a scholarly and adventurous journalist. . . . He draws attention to long-term trends that other writers have little noted.”
CBS News, 1990
“Soldiers of God is a thoughtful, insightful, highly readable book. Battlefield smart, rock solid.”
Book Description
First time in paperback, with a new Introduction and final chapter
World affairs expert and intrepid travel journalist Robert D. Kaplan braved the dangers of war-ravaged Afghanistan in the 1980s, living among the mujahidin—the “soldiers of god”—whose unwavering devotion to Islam fueled their mission to oust the formidable Soviet invaders. In Soldiers of God we follow Kaplan’s extraordinary journey and learn how the thwarted Soviet invasion gave rise to the ruthless Taliban and the defining international conflagration of the twenty-first century.

Kaplan returns a decade later and brings to life a lawless frontier. What he reveals is astonishing: teeming refugee camps on the deeply contentious Pakistan-Afghanistan border; a war front that combines primitive fighters with the most technologically advanced weapons known to man; rigorous Islamic indoctrination academies; a land of minefields plagued by drought, fierce tribalism, insurmountable ethnic and religious divisions, an abysmal literacy rate, and legions of war orphans who seek stability in military brotherhood. Traveling alongside Islamic guerrilla fighters, sharing their food, observing their piety in the face of deprivation, and witnessing their determination, Kaplan offers a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of a people and a country that are at the center of world events.
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So, what have you been reading lately?

All for now--wes

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"If you're not standing on the edge,
you're taking up too much room."
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