The Taliban

Mark Silinsky, PhD, is a 32-year veteran of the defense intelligence community. He has served as a senior counterinsurgency advisor and counterintelligence analyst in the United States and in Afghanistan.

Understand the complexities of the most lethal insurgent group of America's longest war-the Taliban.Battle hardened, tribally oriented, and deeply committed to its cause, the Taliban has proven itself resourceful, adaptable, and often successful. As such, the Taliban presents a counterinsurgency puzzle for which the United States has yet to identify effective military tactics, information operations, and Coalition developmental policies. Written by one of the Department of the Army's leading intelligence and military analysts on the Taliban, this book covers the group's complete history, including its formation, ideology, and political power, as well as the origins of its current conflict with the United States. The work carefully analyzes the agenda, capabilities, and support base of the Taliban; forecasts the group's likely course of action to retake Afghanistan; and details the Coalition forces' probable counterinsurgency responses. Author Mark Silinsky also reviews the successes and failures of the latest U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine to extrapolate the best strategies for future counterinsurgency campaigns.

Analyzes the tribal, religious, political, and international elements of the greater Taliban problem

Foreword by Raymond TarasPrefaceIntroductionAbbreviations1. Afghanistan's Landscape, the People, and Islamism2. Enter the Taliban3. The Taliban in Power4. The Taliban in Defeat5. The Taliban's Recovery in Pakistan6. The Taliban Improve Their Tactics and Firepower7. Taliban Inc.8. Affiliated Insurgent Groups and Foreign Connections9. The Counterinsurgency in AfghanistanAfterword: Salafist DystopiaAppendix: Coalition Military Fatalities by YearNotesBibliographyIndex