Islamist Networks: The Afghan-Pakistan Connection

Islamist Networks: The Afghan-Pakistan Connection
ISBN-10
0231133650
ISBN-13
9780231133654
Category
History
Pages
88
Language
English
Published
2006-10-01
Authors
Mariam Abou Zahab, Olivier Roy

Description

Al-Qaeda was unable to realize its lethal potential until it found sanctuary in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden fled after being expelled from Sudan. But why wasn't Al-Qaeda attacked before September 2001? Mariam Abou Zahab and Olivier Roy argue that the Taliban in Afghanistan was part of a much wider radical Islamist network in the region, whose true center was Pakistan. Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Pakistani Deobandis-all of these groups are based in Pakistan, which continues to serve as the regional hub for Islamist movements and their terrorist offshoots. In this critically acclaimed book, Abou Zahab and Roy investigate the almost twenty-five-year gestation of these interlinked radical Islamist networks of Pakistan, Central Asia, and Afghanistan. Taking into account the networks' divergent histories and doctrinal rifts, Abou Zahab and Roy lay bare the political contingencies that enabled these disparate Islamist movements to coordinate with the aim of attacking what would become their common adversary: the United States.

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