/DCPD-200900985.htm.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is based almost entirely on my own reporting, interviews, a review of documents and meeting notes. I am deeply indebted to the reporters and authors who have covered the war in Afghanistan and the Obama administration. They blazed the trail. Their work and insights provide a significant and essential foundation.
I want to thank all sources, those named and those unnamed. These individuals often agreed to take the time to answer all my questions, provide me with notes and other written material, and give context to the scenes in this book. Without their help, the effort to make this a serious and authoritative history would have been impossible. I am grateful.
Alice Mayhew, my editor at Simon & Schuster for 38 years and 16 books, continues to offer wisdom that is shrewd, fair and always to the point. No one edits with more grace than Alice. Her devotion to revealing history in a clear, compelling way is a gift. She has my admiration and affection.
Jonathan Karp enthusiastically leapt into his new job as publisher at Simon & Schuster. He gave dozens of concrete suggestions and ideas that strengthened this book. Simon & Schuster and its authors are fortunate to have at the helm a publisher who immerses himself in the details of a manuscript. Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn K. Reidy remains the kind of ally who all writers should have. My deepest appreciation also goes to Roger Labrie, senior editor; Elisa Rivlin, senior vice president and general counsel; Victoria Meyer, executive vice president of publicity; Tracey Guest, director of publicity; Jackie Seow, art director and jacket designer; Irene Kheradi, executive managing editor; Tristan Child, assistant managing editor; Karen Thompson, associate editor; Paul Dippolito, designer; Lisa Healy, senior production editor; Nancy Inglis, director of copyediting; John Wahler, associate director of production.
Josh Boak, Evelyn Duffy and I have profound gratitude for master copy editor Fred Chase, who came from Texas to join our team and work on his sixth book with me. Fred is a man of immense experience and common sense. His company, good humor, eye for detail and typographical saves make his help invaluable.
Many thanks to Barbara DeGennaro for indexing this book in such a short time.
Washington Post executive editor Marcus Brauchli has steered the institution I love with intelligence and courage. He possesses an eye for scoops, a competitive drive and the unflappable presence needed during this tumultuous time in the industry. Many thanks also to publisher Katharine Weymouth, whose pride in the work, mission and future of the newspaper is essential.
Post chairman and CEO Don Graham is a stalwart friend. No media CEO could be more of a champion of journalism and journalists. He knows the importance of ensuring that independent voices are heard.
My friend Steve Luxenberg, associate editor, gave willingly of his ingenuity and judgment to help excerpt this book for The Washington Post, and he has my lasting gratitude.
Washington Post reporters and editors whose work on Afghanistan and Pakistan was of tremendous assistance include Karen De-Young, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, David Ignatius, Joby Warrick, Greg Jaffe, Joshua Partlow, Al Kamen, Walter Pincus, Scott Wilson, Anne E. Kornblut, Ann Scott Tyson, Pamela Constable, Griff Witte, Rama Lakshmi, Emily Wax, Karin Brulliard, Cameron Barr, Carlos Lozada and many others. A great deal of significant background and understanding came from others on the Post’s foreign and national staffs. Special thanks to Rick Atkinson, Steve Coll and David Maraniss.
My appreciation also goes to Michel du Cille, Wendy Galietta and the rest of the Post’s incomparable photo staff who supplied nearly all of the pictures used in this book.
I will always be indebted to my friend and mentor Ben Bradlee, whose exacting standards and enduring principles are a legacy for all who have passed through the Post’s newsroom.
And special thanks to Carl Bernstein, a friend, colleague and source of endless ideas and insight.
I was also helped immeasurably by the reporting and analysis in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Politico, Dawn (Pakistan), The Nation (Pakistan), the Associated Press, and countless other news organizations both foreign and domestic.
The following books were useful points of reference and would make for excellent further reading: The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen; Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice by David Galula; Decoding the Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field edited by Antonio Giustozzi; Descent into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid; Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin; Koran, Kalashnikov and Laptop: The NeoTaliban Insurgency in Afghanistan by Antonio Giustozzi; Lessons in Disaster by Gordon M. Goldstein; My Life with the Taliban by Abdul Salam Zaeef; Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military by Husain Haqqani; The Promise by Jonathan Alter; and The Search for Al Qaeda by Bruce Riedel.
My assistants and I found the following blogs helpful as well: Abu Muqawama (http://www.cnas.org/blogs/abumuqawama); The AfPak Channel (http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/); At War (http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/); The Cable (http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/); and Mike Allen’s Playbook (http://www.politico.com/playbook/).
Robert B. Barnett, my agent, attorney and friend, again proved indispensible. His counsel is always welcome and informed. Bob looks out for his authors and their interests with an unmatched zeal. Because he represents President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and other political figures, he was not consulted on the contents of this book and did not see it until it was printed.
Josh, Evelyn and I are fortunate for the presence of Rosa Criollo and Jackie Crowe in our lives. Long days are shortened and challenges eased by their able assistance.
My elder daughter, Tali, spent a week in Washington reviewing the manuscript. Her smart recommendations helped make sometimes dense subject matter more understandable. Tali has a natural touch and feel for the written word. My younger daughter, Diana, is fast becoming a spirited and caring young woman and a highly readable writer in her own right. Both are joys in my life.
Elsa Walsh, my wife, lived through this book from the first interviews to the final proofs. Her advice has always proven enlightening, and her company an abiding comfort. She devoted an intense week to marking up drafts. This book—and my previous ones—are richer because of her. Elsa is the anchor of our family and the source of the love that matters.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Linda Davidson (The Washington Post): 4, 6, 16, 29
Day Walters Photography: 12
Lorie Jewell (U.S. Air Force): 20
Marvin Joseph (The Washington Post): 8, 10, 31
Nikki Kahn (The Washington Post): 1, 23
Melina Mara (The Washington Post): 2, 7, 17, 18, 21, 24, 26
Anjum Naveed (Associated Press): 28
Bill O’Leary (The Washington Post): 3, 5, 22, 27
Robert A. Reeder (The Washington Post): 15
Brendan Smialowski (Getty Images News): 11
Chip Somodevilla (Getty Images News): 25
Pete Souza (Official White House photographer): 9, 13, 14, 30
Adam M. Stump (U.S. Air Force): 19
INDEX
ABC News, 246, 371
Abdullah Abdullah, 164, 238
Abdullah, King, 190
Abdulmutallab, Umar, 340–41
Abizaid, John, 118
Afghan Hands, 149
Afghan National Army (ANA), 42, 80, 84, 110, 130, 132, 249, 320
Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP), 360
Afghan National Directorate for Security, 42
Afghan National Police, 42, 80, 84, 110, 147, 225–26, 232, 320
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), 131, 165, 204, 219, 220, 225, 230, 252, 262–64, 270, 291, 293, 294, 299, 302, 320, 325, 329, 348
Afghan prison system, 178
Afghan Taliban, 3, 65, 100, 145, 187, 189, 203, 215, 241
Afghanistan author in, 126–36
Biden in, 65–70
corruption in, 43–44, 128, 218, 219, 220, 224–26, 230, 239
elections in, 96, 97–98, 136, 146–48, 226, 238, 347
Jones in, 126–36, 140–43
Afghanistan-Pakistan border, 3, 42, 75, 203, 212, 224, 235, 359–60
Afghanistan-Pakistan Center of Excellence (CentCom), 78, 346
Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review, 161–69, 170–71, 186–91, 202–4, 207–11, 214–21, 222–33, 239–44, 250–54, 257–60, 262–64, 268–83, 290–299, 301–6, 307–8, 348–52, 355–57
final strategy decision, 290, 311–17, 318–22, 324–31, 383–88
NSC principals meetings on, 202–4, 212–13, 238–39, 248–49, 262–63
Afghanistan War Americanization of, 135, 150–51, 276
costs for, 107, 251, 263, 327
JACKAL teams, 7
Lute report on, 40–44
McChrystal’s assessment of, 124–25, 153–56, 175–84
McChrystal’s resignation as
Afghanistan commander, 371–74
McChrystal’s strategy review team, 148–53
Obama’s first NSC meeting on, 79–81
Obama’s speeches on, 113–14, 330–35
Petraeus as new Afghanistan commander, 373–74, 379
Riedel review, 88–90, 96, 97, 99–110, 111, 113, 114, 119, 124, 145
Strategic Implementation Plan for, 145–46
troop draw down date, 290, 302, 305, 312, 314–15, 319, 320–21, 324, 331, 335–37, 376
troop requests for, 70, 80–81, 94–98, 123, 132, 140–42, 156, 171, 186, 192–93, 195, 205–6, 212–13, 216–17, 225, 228, 234–35, 249–50, 251–54, 257–60, 262–64, 270, 271–73, 275–78, 290–95
Air Force (U.S.), 25, 32, 257, 259
Air Force One, 104, 109, 183, 194, 280, 334
Air Force Two, 159
al Qaeda, 3, 4, 89, 105–6, 108, 117, 364
and Afghanistan, 70–71
and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, 162–63, 187, 188–90, 202, 203, 224, 227, 314
LeT and, 45
U.S. recruits, 121, 122
“Alternative Mission in Afghanistan,” 276, 277, 281–83
Amanpour, Christiane, 204
American Cemetery, Normandy, France, 124
Andrews Air Force Base, 126, 334
Angor Adda, FATA, Pakistan, 8
AQAP (al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula), 8, 341
Arg-e-Shahi presidential palace (Afghanistan), 128
Arlington Cemetery, 266
Army Field Manual, 55, 56
Associated Press, 361
Atkinson, Rick, 378
Atmar, Mohammad Hanif, 67
Austin, Lloyd, III, 85
Awlaki, Anwar al-, 341
Axelrod, David M., 137, 141, 144, 246–47
and Clinton as secretary of state, 26–27
and McChrystal, 194
and Obama, 26–27, 74, 141, 191, 195, 246–47, 332
and Petraeus, 158, 191
and Riedel, 105, 109
Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan, 366
Balad Airbase, Iraq, 85
Ball, George, 170
Baluchistan province, Pakistan, 7, 215
Baradar, Abdul Ghani, 356
Bethesda Naval Hospital, 131, 229
Bhutto, Benazir, 62–63, 86, 115, 117, 136, 285
Biden, Beau, 64
Biden, Joseph R.
in Afghanistan, 65–70
and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review, 159–160, 163, 166–67, 170, 185–86, 187, 188, 189, 190, 204, 210, 217, 221, 229, 231, 240, 254–55, 260, 262–63, 270, 271, 272, 291, 299, 323, 324, 328
counterterrorism plus strategy, 102, 159–60, 166, 219, 234–35
and Eikenberry, 217, 218, 221
and Hayden, 54
on Holbrooke, 72
and hybrid option, 234–37, 272, 273
and Karzai, 66–70, 72, 163
and McChrystal, 159–60, 372
and McKiernan, 70–71
and Obama, 51, 62, 72–73, 80–81, 160, 163, 270–71, 275, 288–91, 305, 309–10, 323, 324, 328, 329, 332, 354, 372
in Pakistan, 62–65
Petraeus on, 210
and Riedel, 101–2, 104, 108, 110
on war game (Poignant Vision), 275
bin Laden, Osama, 3, 18, 88, 103, 105, 106, 122, 162, 185, 330
Blagojevich, Rod, 51, 55
Blair, Dennis C., DNI
and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, 162–63, 186–87, 202, 224, 238, 239, 265
chosen as DNI, 58–59, 60–61
and Christmas Day bombing, 340–41, 342
and Emanuel, 121–22
fired as DNI, 370–71
former Joint Staff director, 118
and Mullen, 101
and Obama, 58, 121–22, 162–63, 341–42, 370–71
and Pakistan, 287–89
and Petraeus, 78
and war game (Poignant Vision), 244, 245, 275
Blair House, 354
Blinken, Anthony J., 71, 159, 235–36, 254, 286, 355
Boak, Josh, 148, 153
Bond, Kit, 92–93
Bosnian War, 72, 240
Boston University, 86–87
Boxer, Barbara, 159
Brahimi, Lakhdar, 357
Brauchli, Marcus, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182
Brennan, First Lt. Brian, 267
Brennan, John O. and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, 227–28, 229, 236, 254–55, 284, 285, 296–97, 319, 321, 355
and Christmas Day bomber, 340–42
and nuclear terrorist attack exercise, 362, 363
and Obama, 227–28, 229, 284, 289, 319, 321, 340–42
British Special Forces, 193
Brookings Institution, 88, 149
Brown, Harold, 84
Bundy, McGeorge, 130, 279
Bush administration and military contingency planning, 35
and NSC, 36, 37
search for bin Laden and, 106
Bush Doctrine, 45, 328
Bush, George H. W., 19, 51
Bush, George W., 10, 53, 54, 74, 169
and Iraq War, 134, 252, 375
and Joint Chiefs, 257
and Karzai, 66, 67
and Lute, 40–41, 43
McConnell and, 1, 2
and Mumbai attacks, 45–47
NSC meetings, 40–41, 44
and Obama, 17–18
and Pakistan, 8, 25
and Petraeus, 15, 16
Predator strikes, 4–5
C-17 (cargo plane), 126, 255
C-SPAN, 91
Camp Leatherneck (Afghanistan), 129, 130–31, 135
Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, 249
Cantor, Eric, 204
Carter, Jimmy, 35, 40
Cartwright, Gen. James E. “Hoss,” 275
and hybrid option, 235–37, 245, 272, 273, 300
and McChrystal assessment, 180, 181, 182
and McDonough, 295, 298
and Mullen, 235, 236–37, 245, 272–73, 275, 294–96, 307, 312, 324
and Obama, 235–38, 307–9, 324
and troops issue, 94, 294–96, 307–9, 312
Casey, Gen. George, 118, 258–60
Casey, William J., 19, 128
Castellano, Gen. Rosario, 151–52
Center for a New American Security, 152
Center for Security Policy, 247
Center for Strategic and
International Studies, 149
Central Command (CentCom), 15, 16, 22, 32, 76, 78, 118, 138, 346
Chamber of Commerce, U.S., 39, 58
Chandrasekaran, Rajiv, 181
Cheney, Dick, 16, 169, 247–48
Chicago magazine, 27
Chicago Tribune, 27, 148
China, 9–10, 216, 289
Christmas Day bomber, 340–41
Christopher, Warren, 40
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and bin Laden, 103
B
lair and, 370–71
Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams (CTPT), 8, 52, 160, 265, 355, 367
covert action programs, 51–56, 370
Gates and, 19
Hayden as director, 18, 25–26, 46–50
interrogation program, 49
and ISI, 4, 46
and Karzai family, 65–66, 352
and Operation High Rise, 122
in Pakistan, 117, 286–87
Panetta chosen as director, 57–58, 59
Panetta’s confirmation hearings, 91–93
Clinton, Bill, 1, 13, 27, 28–29
Clinton, Chelsea, 29
Clinton, Hillary Rodham
and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review, 164, 191, 203, 204, 207–8, 209, 213, 216, 222–23, 238, 239, 248, 250–54, 291, 292, 335–36
chosen as secretary of state, 26–31
and Eikenberry, 261, 352
and Holbrooke, 72, 250
Jones on, 138–39
and Karzai, 164, 331, 352, 354, 355
and Keane, 82–85
and McChrystal, 85, 213, 253–54
and Obama, 26–31, 39, 57, 72, 96, 102, 104, 148, 164, 169, 191, 209, 222–23, 250, 252, 254, 291, 292–93, 331, 334, 335–36
and Riedel review, 96, 102
CNN, 18, 204, 266–68
Coalition Support Fund, 3, 201
Cohen, William S., 37
COIN, see counterinsurgency
COINistas, see countersinsurgency
Colby, William J., 89
Collins, Susan, 155
Commander’s Emergency Response Program, 240
Computer Network Attack (CNA), 10
Computer Network Defense (CND), 10
Conway, Gen. James, 258, 259–60
COOPEX 2010 (Continuity of Operations Exercise), 362–63
Council on Foreign Relations, 149
counterinsurgency, 83, 84, 86, 114, 141, 183, 219, 314, 315, 325
Biden and, 166, 219, 236, 237, 272, 273
COIN, 103, 150, 253, 261, 263
COINistas, 145, 225, 339, 354, 356
vs. CT plus, 234–35
Eikenberry’s reservations about, 261–62
Gates and, 218–19
Hayden and, 93–94
McChrystal and, 150, 151, 217
Petraeus and, 15, 17, 83, 94, 103, 111, 112, 157, 158, 170–71, 183–84, 191, 203, 220, 225, 241–43, 244–45, 257, 262, 269, 270, 272–75, 294, 297–98, 300, 317, 332, 338, 347, 349, 379