Robert Fisk on Afghanistan
Osama bin Laden: 9/11 to Death in Pakistan
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It began on a surge of international consensus, following the terrorist atrocities of 11 September 2001. Thirteen years later, the US-led coalition’s war in Afghanistan came to a quiet close. Britain and America are still counting the cost. Some 3,224 international troops lost their lives in the conflict, including 453 Britons, while Afghan civilian casualties exceeded 21,000. More than 140,000 British servicemen and women served in the conflict, at a total operational cost of £21.5bn. It was the longest war in modern British or American history, and by the end of it more than 10 per cent of the Afghan population were classified as refugees.
Throughout that time, one journalist above all others has reported on the conflict with unfailing insight, perspective and courage. Robert Fisk has used the accumulated wisdom and contacts of a lifetime to capture the trauma and heroism of a military engagement that was never going to be as simple as Western politicians liked to imagine.
Spanning the full 13 years of the conflict, this collection shows Fisk at his best. Reporting with dedication, compassion and in-depth knowledge, he tells a heartbreaking story of a country ravaged by war and a destitute people desperate for peace. Whether he is warning Western statesmen of pitfalls ahead or recounting his own hair-raising experiences, Fisk tells the truth unflinchingly, but also with compassion.
This is journalism at its best, informing and dissecting. If you wish to understand what the war in Afghanistan was about, this is as good a first draft of history as you will find.
Available in print and as an eBook
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments