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Afghanistan: A Military History from the Ancient Empires to the
Great Game covers the military history of a region encompassing
Afghanistan, Central and South Asia, and West Asia, over some 2,500
years. This is the first comprehensive study in any language
published on the millennia-long competition for domination and
influence in one of the key regions of the Eurasian continent.
Jalali's work covers some of the most important events and figures
in world military history, including the armies commanded by Cyrus
the Great, Alexander the Great, the Muslim conquerors, Chinggis
Khan, Tamerlane, and Babur. Afghanistan was the site of their
campaigns and the numerous military conquests that facilitated
exchange of military culture and technology that influenced
military developments far beyond the region. An enduring theme
throughout Afghanistan is the strong influence of the geography and
the often extreme nature of the local terrain. Invaders mostly
failed because the locals outmaneuvered them in an unforgiving
environment. Important segments include Alexander the Great,
remembered to this day as a great victor, though not a grand
builder; the rise of Islam in the early seventh century in the
Arabian Peninsula and the monumental and enduring shift in the
social and political map of the world brought by its conquering
armies; the medieval Islamic era, when the constant rise and fall
of ruling dynasties and the prevalence of an unstable security
environment reinforced localism in political, social, and military
life; the centuries-long impact of the destruction caused by
Chinggis Khan's thirteenth century; early eighteenth century, when
the Afghans achieved a remarkable military victory with extremely
limited means leading to the downfall of the Persian Safavid
dynasty; and the Battle of Panipat (1761), where Afghan Emperor
Ahmad Shah Abdali decisively routed the Hindu confederacy under
Maratha leadership, widely considered as one of the decisive
battles of the world. It was in this period when the Afghans
founded their modern state and a vast empire under Ahmad Shah
Durrani, which shaped the environment for the arrival of the
European powers and the Great Game.
Originally printed in very limited numbers in 1995, this book is a
companion piece to "The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat
Tactics in Afghanistan." This unabridged quality reprint will
provide tremendous insight for historians, journalists and anyone
deployed in Afghanistan. Contains accounts of numerous actions
fought by the Afghan resistance. Each account is told by the Afghan
commander who participated in the action described. These
commanders in the vast majority, were civilians who took up arms
against the Soviets and developed the skills necessary to command
guerrilla units. Most of these accounts are supported by a full
page map, that show the topography, the locations of the attackers
and defenders, movements, fields of fire etc. In addition is an
invaluable guide to anyone wishing to understand modern guerrilla
warfare, whether conducting one or fighting against guerrillas in
the field. In addition this study provides invaluable insights in
how to train and support guerrillas in the field. Each operation is
commented on to highlight the elements that caused the
operation/action to succeed or fail. In the event of failure what
should have been done to have prevented such failure, or in the
case of success what could have been done to have improved on that
success.
The history of Afghanistan is largely military history. From the
Persians and Greeks of antiquity to the British, Soviet, and
American powers in modern times, outsiders have led military
conquests into the mountains and plains of Afghanistan, leaving
their indelible marks on this ancient land at the juncture of
Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In this book Ali Ahmad Jalali, a
former interior minister of Afghanistan, taps a deep understanding
of his country's distant and recent past to explore Afghanistan's
military history during the last two hundred years. With an
introductory chapter highlighting the major military developments
from early times to the foundation of the modern Afghan state,
Jalali's account focuses primarily on the era of British conquest
and Anglo-Afghan wars; the Soviet invasion; the civil war and the
rise of the Taliban; and the subsequent U.S. invasion. Looking
beyond persistent stereotypes and generalizations--e.g., the
""graveyard of empires"" designation emerging from the Anglo-Afghan
wars of the 19th century and the Soviet experience of the
1980s--Jalali offers a nuanced and comprehensive portrayal of the
way of war pursued by both state and non-state actors in
Afghanistan against different domestic and foreign enemies, under
changing social, political, and technological conditions. He
reveals how the structure of states, tribes, and social communities
in Afghanistan, along with the scope of their controlled space, has
shaped their modes of fighting throughout history. In particular,
his account shows how dynastic wars and foreign conquests differ in
principle, strategy, and method from wars initiated by non-state
actors including tribal and community militias against foreign
invasions or repressive government. Written by a professional
soldier, politician, and noted scholar with a keen analytical grasp
of his country's military and political history, this magisterial
work offers unique insight into the military history of
Afghanistan--and thus, into Afghanistan itself.
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