I am Akbar Agha: Memories of the Afghan Jihad and the Taliban

Following in the tradition of Mullah Zaeefs My Life With the Taliban Akbar Aghas memoir tells a story of war friendship and political intrigue. Starting in 1980s Kandahar the difficulties and successes of the mujahedeen come through clearly as Akbar Agha struggles to administer a group of fighters. He details the different groups fighting in Kandahar their cooperation and the scale of the Soviet Unions efforts to crush them. Not directly a participant in the Taliban government that ruled post-1994 Akbar Agha offers a sometimes-critical account of the administration built by many of his former fighters. After the fall of the Islamic Emirate in 2001 Akbar Agha was involved in the Jaish ul-Muslimeen opposition group and for the first time he has revealed his account of what happened in the kidnapping of UN aid workers. I Am Akbar Agha ends with an analysis of the problems afflicting Afghanistan and outlines a vision for the political future of the country post-elections and post-2015. Anand Gopal has written an introduction to the book.