The Afghanistan File

The Afghanistan File, written by the former head of Saudi Arabian Intelligence, tells the story of his Department’s involvement in Afghanistan from the time of the Soviet invasion in 1979 to Nine Eleven in 2001.Beginning with the Saudi Arabian backing of the Mujahideen in their fight against Soviet occupation, the story looks into the peace initiatives made in vain. It also addresses the Taliban rise to power, and the shelter given to Osama Bin Laden. A central theme in The Afghanistan File is the immense number of difficulties faced by Saudi Arabia and its allies when dealing with the Mujahideen. Prince Turki found them to be magnificently brave but also exasperating.  On one occasion the Prince got permission from the King to gather the leaders in the Kaaba in Mecca. He attempted to arrange peace among them. Overcome with emotion, the Mujahideen swore never to fight each other again. A few hours later on a bus to Medina, they almost came to blows. Containing a number of declassified Intelligence Department documents, Turki’s account gives details of the Saudi attempts to bring its volunteers out of Afghanistan in the 1990s, achieving chequered success. He also returns to his negotiations with the Taliban for the surrender of Osama Bin Laden. Prince Turki explains the nihilistic and apparently pointless terrorism that has been seen in the Middle East in the last twenty years – its origins rooted in Afghanistan and Osama’s deluded belief that he had helped defeat the Russians.  There is no evidence that he ever fought them at all. Soon after Nine Eleven Saudi Arabia discovered that it had a home grown terrorist problem involving some of the returnees from Afghanistan.  Much of the vast change that has taken place in the Kingdom since has stemmed from the campaign to tackle this.