SILENT SOLDIER – The Man Behind the Afghan Jehad General Akhtar Abdur Rahman Shaheed by Brigadier (Retired) Mohammed Yousaf, S.Bt.

Published in hardback by Jang Publishers, Lahore in July 1991. First Edition and only 2000 copies produced. 106 pages containing colour photographs.



The inside of the dust jacket reads as follows;

This book is long overdue. Unlike previous publications it is not a biography, but for the first time reveals the role played by General Akhtar as the then head of ISI in the war in Afghanistan.

The Activities of the ISI and its involvement in the Jehad, had previously only been guessed at, now we know for certain that it was the channel through which passed the money and the arms to feed the war.

For eight years General Akhtar held enormous responsibility for both the security of Pakistan and the prosecution of the Jehad. For almost four years the author was in charge of the Afghan Bureau which coordinated the day to day requirements of weapons, ammunition, training and planning for military operations inside Afghanistan. He is therefore exceptionally well qualified to tell the story of the debt owed to the Mujahideen and to General Akhtar.

General Akhtar masterminded the Jehad. He devised the strategy of a thousand cuts to defeat a superpower on the battlefield. He understood the political, economic, social, diplomatic and military significance of the capital, Kabul. This book reveals how the Mujahideen came so close to victory. It touches on a number of controversial issues connected with the war, such as the role of the CIA, and Akhtar’s successful resistance to US pressure to let them take control of the clandestine supply pipeline, arms distribution and the training of the Mujahideen. It tells of his efforts to bring about unity between the sometimes fractious Mujahideen political leaders, so that operational cooperation could be achieved, and of his unavailing struggle against corruption, particularly within the refugee camps. It tells of his humanity as well as his professionalism as a soldier.

In 1987 General Akhtar was removed from his post as Director General of ISI by promotion to four star rank. As the author explains, this was a deliberate act to move him from this critical job. He had served his purpose, brought the Jehad to the brink of victory, with the Soviets openly discussing withdrawal, so his services were abruptly terminated. Brigadier Yousaf makes a convincing case that this removal of Akhtar saw the start of the present stalemate in Afghanistan. According to him, it was done in furtherance of a policy that the Mujahideen should not achieve an outright military victory once the Soviets had gone.

As the story of the only general to take on the Soviets on the battlefield since World War 2 – and win, it deserves a wide readership.



The contents of the book are as follows;

· Map

· Introduction

· The Man

· The Beginnings

· The Strategy

· Akhtar and the Mujahideen

· The Jehad

· The Victory

· The Debacle