PRIME MEMBER EXCLUSIVE | 3 Months Free Trial

Auto-renews at INR 199/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends 15 July, 2026.
Ghost Wars cover art

Ghost Wars

The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER
3 Months Free Trial
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July, 2026 at 11:59 PM IST.
1 credit a month to use on any title.
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks.
₹199 per month after 3 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime. Offer ends 15 July, 2026 at 11:59 PM IST.
Download titles to your library and listen offline.

Ghost Wars

Written by: Steve Coll
Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
Get this deal

₹199 per month after 3 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime. Offer ends 15 July, 2026 at 11:59 PM IST.

Buy Now for ₹844.01

Buy Now for ₹844.01

The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan

With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
Asia Freedom & Security Intelligence & Espionage Middle East Military Politics & Government Terrorism War & Crisis Wars & Conflicts
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic Reviews

“Certainly the finest historical narrative so far on the origins of al Qaeda in the post-Soviet rubble of Afghanistan . . . Ghost Wars provides fresh details and helps explain the motivations behind many crucial decisions.” —The New York Times Book Review

“The CIA itself would be hard put to beat his grasp of global events . . . Deeply satisfying.” —The New York Review of Books

“A well written, authoritative, high-altitude drama with few heroes, many villains, bags of cash, and a tragic ending—one that may not have been inevitable.” —The Washington Post
All stars
Most relevant
Loved this narrative of steve for 90s in south east Asia, but sad with fact that when i started listening this book ,Afghanistan again fall back in clutches of Taliban. Sad with current developments but hopeful for coming days.

Compelling at every page

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Plenty of information on the origin of cross border terrorism. The book shows how the covert war against the erstwhile Soviet Union led to the current threat of global radical terrorism. There are some places where the audio suddenly cuts off and some mistakes in pronouncing military hardware (Mi 17 ) is pronounced as Mig 17 . Otherwise a good listen.

Rich in history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Very elaborate account of birth and struggle of CIA and it's role in Afganistan. How the people in power deprioritise national interests and how overall auD policy towards middle east and south Asia has panned out in last few decades.

How they created the monster

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

wonderful book to understand the rise of radical Islam and Al-Qaeda. The war of Afghanistan was presented in a wonderful way

Amazing book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Audio skips at a number of points and in multiple chapters. May be there's not enough space between various sentences.

Great Book....but audio quality is not great....

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews