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This is the autobiography of Abdul Salam Zaeef, a senior former
member of the Taliban. His memoirs, translated from Pashto, are
more than just a personal account of his extraordinary life. My
Life with the Taliban offers a counter-narrative to the standard
accounts of Afghanistan since 1979. Zaeef describes growing up in
rural poverty in Kandahar province. Both of his parents died at an
early age, and the Russian invasion of 1979 forced him to flee to
Pakistan. He started fighting the jihad in 1983, during which time
he was associated with many major figures in the anti-Soviet
resistance, including the current Taliban head Mullah Mohammad
Omar. After the war Zaeef returned to a quiet life in a small
village in Kandahar, but chaos soon overwhelmed Afghanistan as
factional fighting erupted after the Russians pulled out. Disgusted
by the lawlessness that ensued, Zaeef was one among the former
mujahidin who were closely involved in the discussions that led to
the emergence of the Taliban, in 1994. Zaeef then details his
Taliban career as civil servant and minister who negotiated with
foreign oil companies as well as with Afghanistan's own resistance
leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud. Zaeef was ambassador to Pakistan at the
time of the 9/11 attacks, and his account discusses the strange
"phoney war" period before the US-led intervention toppled the
Taliban. In early 2002 Zaeef was handed over to American forces in
Pakistan, notwithstanding his diplomatic status, and spent four and
a half years in prison (including several years in Guantanamo)
before being released without having been tried or charged with any
offence. My Life with the Taliban offers a personal and privileged
insight into the rural Pashtun village communities that are the
Taliban's bedrock. It helps to explain what drives men like Zaeef
to take up arms against the foreigners who are foolish enough to
invade his homeland.
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