Abdullah Anas is an Algerian politician-in-exile and former member of the mujahideen who fought alongside bin Laden before falling out with the Al-Qaeda leader over his plans for a global jihad. He lives in London, having gained political asylum.
Tam Hussein is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer who has reported on UK jihadi networks and British foreign fighters in Syria.
'An unusual personal foray into the motives of the jihadis from one
of their number. Anas . . . describes vividly for a western
audience the human story . . . [a] fascinating book.'
‘This important memoir … is a valuable resource that deserves a
broad readership.’
*The New Arab*
'Specialists and scholars will enjoy the accounts of arguments
among different Afghan factions and the personal details related
about key figures from the period . . . a valiant attempt to create
something accessible and readable.'
‘A treasure trove for scholars and historians, ["To The Mountains"]
also provides fresh food for thought for all those, Muslim or
non-Muslim, trying to understand how to build enduring peace
settlements in Muslim-majority countries.’
*War on the Rocks*
'Paints a dystopian picture of endless warfare in impoverished
cities.'
*New Frame*
‘Provides an insider’s perspective of how jihadism emerged from the
Afghan-Soviet war.’
*Middle East Journal*
'A fascinating book with new insights and anecdotes in a history
which resonates to this day.'
'No one knows the story of the Afghan Arabs better than Abdullah
Anas. His personal story, and his observations of the recent
developments in the Arab world, will surely be a revelation.'
*Lawrence Wright, author of 'The Looming Tower'*
'Abdullah Anas has had a ringside seat at the most important
moments in the evolution of the Islamist movement from his early
involvement in the Afghan War during the mid 1980s where he met and
befriended Osama bin Laden to his more recent role as a negotiator
with the Taliban as well as his place as a respected Islamist
intellectual around the Arab world as it undergoes its present
revolutionary upheaval.'
*Peter Bergen, New America / CNN*
'Abdullah Anas is an Algerian mujahed who can tell the real story
of the Afghan jihad and his life as one of those Arabs involved
there. He can speak with true and lived knowledge about Abdullah
Azzam, Osama bin Laden, Ahmed Shah Massoud, Hekmatyar and Sayyaf. I
have no doubt that this book will be useful for future generations
to understand this history, to take advantage of his experience and
to avoid making the mistakes that many of his generation made.'
*Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi*
'Abdullah Anas is an essential voice in the debate about jihad, and
what it means for our societies. Told with honesty, modesty and
clarity, "To the Mountains" deserves to be widely read.'
*Mike Martin, author of 'Why We Fight'*
'"To the Mountains" presents stories from the beating heart of the
Afghan jihad. This is essential reading, a first-hand eyewitness
account with a message for the next generation.'
*Alex Strick van Linschoten, co-editor of 'The Taliban Reader'*
'Through the mountains of Afghanistan, the killing fields and
torture chambers of Algeria, the streets of Londonistan, and the
highest diplomatic venues of Kabul, Kandahar, Riyadh and Mecca,
Anas traces a journey that ends, despite everything, in unexpected
hope.'
*Barnett Rubin, Center on International Communication*
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