Holy War, Unholy Victory: Eyewitness to the Cia's Secret War in Afghanistan

Rating:
Summary: Typical American nonsense and deceit.
Review: I fully endorse the above review of "A reader from AMERICA", and denounce the other nonsensical rubbish to be found alongside. Dr. Magnusson's review is also right. Loehbeck's is the typical gushing childish narrative, of the type that characterises modern Western writers on Afghanistan, especially those of the controversial period of the 1980s and '90s. It also contains many name-spelling and minor contextual mistakes and errors throughout. People such as him do no service to the historical reality of a very profound and key situation of the present era of the world. For one, they blame the Soviet invasion of 1979 for events in Afganistan since then. That is untrue. What the invasion did was to precipitate this crisis, but as far as its causes are concerned, among other things, the character of the Afghan nature and society are wholly responsible and should be addressed and exposed by concerned writers. The underpinnings of this crisis had started well before 1979, and this is what could have been expected to have transpired because of the rigid and vicious nature of Afghan society when it encountered social, technological and cultural progress of any kind. The pseudo-science of Marxism wasn't at all the ideal solution to anything, but Western writers should refrain from using its defeat as a scapegoat or whipping post to hide their own weaknesses and/or mask their own doings which, since 1991 especially, are almost equal in magnitude to Marxist fallacies and wrongs. Expert observers will note that both Islam and Marxian communist politics, though diametrically opposed, struck a very resonant chord somewhere deep in the sinister murkiness of the Afghan psyche. (And this isn't quite the "communism" any Europeans are used to knowing). I hate "my" people for their nature. History will remember them for the rascals and wolves that they are...yes, indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Oh, look! More pictures of Kurt!
Review: The factual errors start in the very first sentence of the forward by Dan Rather and continue throughout. Lohbeck even gets the definition of "Islam" wrong; he says it means "peace". There are plenty of pictures of Kurt for those inclined to look at them.

Rating:
Summary: Holy War, Unholy Victory
Review: This book gives a great account of Kurt Loehbecks travels, trials, & tribulations in Afghanistan. Abdul Haq is a great Mujahadin and deserves the respect of all people, it was nice to read about some of the lessor know leaders who slugged it out on the ground whilst the likes of Gulbaddin just gave orders and mullah omar was sitting in lahore with his basangers drinking tea. Mr. Loehbeck did a great job, I wish this book was longer. ;^)

Rating:
Summary: Oh, look! More pictures of Kurt!
Review: This book gives a great account of Kurt Loehbecks travels, trials, & tribulations in Afghanistan. Abdul Haq is a great Mujahadin and deserves the respect of all people, it was nice to read about some of the lessor know leaders who slugged it out on the ground whilst the likes of Gulbaddin just gave orders and mullah omar was sitting in lahore with his basangers drinking tea. Mr. Loehbeck did a great job, I wish this book was longer. ;^)